Anything For You
by Dishie
Summary: Edward is a loner ... always has been. The only people he's ever loved are his parents and they were taken from him. The day he rides into town to bury his mother and father, he sees her.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything Twilight related from Chapter One until the very end.

 **Chapter One**

"Bart's Garage," Bart answers for the umpteenth time today.

The garage has been busy all week, and Edward is looking forward to the weekend, having planned a long ride up the coast. When Bart lowers his voice, Edward peers at him out the corner of his eye. Bart does the same, keeping his voice low.

"Yeah, he's here," he says, turning his back to Edward, piquing his curiosity.

"Oh, no, you don't! You aren't putting this on me. You tell him," he whispers into the phone.

Pulling the greasy rag from his back pocket, Edward wipes his hands on the scrap of material that he keeps stashed in his back pocket. He listens while he assesses his handiwork.

Edward's a small engine mechanic, but his passion is for anything motorcycle. He's rebuilt enough engines and is good enough to open his own shop, pocketing the money for himself but he likes working for Bart.

Bart puts the phone down on the counter before turning around to face Edward.

 _Something's up._

"Um, Edward, son, the phone's for you," he says ducking his head before he slips his hands in his pockets. "Take your time, I'll finish up here for you."

Sensing something bad has happened, he reaches the phone in three long strides.

"Hello," he says low into the phone.

"Mr. Cullen, this is Scott Andrews, your father's attorney here in Mendocino. Mr. Cullen, I regret to inform you that your parents were involved in an accident, and your father was killed instantly. Although your mother made it to the hospital, she passed away a few hours ago. I'm sorry to have to be the bearer of this tragic news, but Mr. Cullen, you need to come home, sir. You're the only family they had, and there are matters that needs to be addressed."

It takes a while for Edward's brain to absorb what Andrews has just said, but all he can says is, "Okay."

Pain rushes through his body when he thinks about his mother, laying there with no breath in her. His father, who was always bigger than life, no longer available to help him when he has questions or needs help.

Bart is by Edward's side in an instant, picking up the dropped phone from the dirty floor, and that's when Edward feels it. He lunges for the garbage can just before he loses his lunch.

Sitting back on his heels, he gratefully drinks from a bottle of cold water that Bart hands him.

"What did he say, Eddie?" Bart asks, his hand resting on his friend's shoulder.

"He said … he said that my parents are dead, and that I need to go home to take care of things," he answers, not wanting to say the words out loud.

"You go and do what you have to do, son. Take your time. We'll hold down the fort here. Just make sure you call and let us know how you're getting on, all right?" Bart says, wrapping his arm across Edward's shoulder. "You'll always have a place here, Eddie."

"Yeah. Yeah, sure," not certain when he'd be back — if at all.

Filled with dread, he mounts his bike, turning it onto the road. Before he knows it, he's pulling into the drive, barely recalling the ride home.

As soon as he enters his apartment, Edward shuts the door behind him, finally allowing the pain to consume him. He can't remember the last time he cried. Maybe it was when he was about eight or so, when his puppy died.

Later that afternoon, Edward returns Andrews' call to let him know that he'll be leaving L.A. in the morning, and that he'll arrive sometime the following evening. He lets the attorney know that he has a key to his parent's house and can let himself in, so he won't have to bother with that.

After hanging up the phone, he has a dismal thought; my parents are dead, and I have to bury them.

~.~

The ride up Hwy 1 adds a little extra time to the schedule, but it's worth it. Pulling his motorcycle into his parents drive around eight o'clock the following evening, he's glad it's still light out. He really doesn't want to enter the house while it's dark.

Swinging his long leg over the seat, he squats down, stretching out the kinks in his muscles. He lets himself into the house through the garage door, shuts it behind him and just stands there listening to the quiet.

Tears burn his eyes when he knows that, at any other time, his mother would be in the kitchen, wrapping him in a huge hug.

After turning on the kitchen light, Edward stares at the plate sitting on the granite countertop. His mother was defrosting a roast for dinner.

"I love her pot roast," he murmurs to himself. Taking a garbage bag out of the drawer, he dumps the package of spoiled meat into the trash.

Not wanting to deal with this tonight, he carries his duffle bag to his room, forcing himself not to stop at his parents' bedroom. So, after he drops his bag inside the door of his room, he heads to the garage … and a cold beer.

As soon as he pulls in front of The Shack, he smiles at the fond memories he has of this joint. It's where all the locals hang out, and if you aren't a local, you don't get in.

The corner of his mouth turns up at the familiar sound of the loud hinge as he opens the door, and Rogan, the bartender, greets him with open arms.

"Eddie, me boy. How the hell are ye?" he says in his Irish brogue.

"I'm good," Edward lies through a forced smile.

"Like hell you are," a familiar voice shouts from across the room. "Rogan, he just lost his parents, you ass," Jasper says angrily.

"Oh, shite. I'm sorry, lad. I just learned of it today," Rogan confesses.

"I'll take a cold Fat Boy, Rogan. In a glass."

"Sure, sure, comin' right up, laddie."

Edward's eyes remain on the frosted mug as Rogan pours the beer.

"Here ye go. Tis on the house, boy."

"Thanks, Rogan." He drinks it down and slides the empty glass across the bar for a refill.

Not in the mood for socializing, Edward takes his filled glass and scans the room, looking for an empty booth. Just his luck, Jasper follows him, wanting to discuss what the plans are, and what Edward wants to do with the business no doubt.

"Jasper, if you don't mind, I'd like to bury my parents first, then we'll discuss what's going to happen with the boats. I may sell the business; I don't know yet. Just give me a few days, would ya?"

"Sure, Edward, but just so you know, Carlisle had two of the boats booked for the next five days. Do you want me to call and cancel, or do you want me to take them out?"

"Fuck," Edward snaps, his hands going through his hair. He does not want to deal with this shit right now.

"Can you handle it on your own?" Jasper nods in response. "You can do it then."

"All right. Let me know when the funeral is," Jasper says, rising from the table. "I'll not miss the funeral."

Three beers later, the bar fills to near capacity, the music is blaring, and the yelling is getting on his nerves. That's when Edward decides it's time to leave. Taking one last long draw on his beer, he spies a group of women sitting at a round table, laughing, enjoying their evening. One of them in particular looks as if she wishes she were somewhere else, only smiling to appease the others.

Draining the last of his brew, he sets it down, slips out from his booth, and grabs his leather jacket. Standing, he pulls a couple bills from his pocket and tosses them onto the table for the waitress. While he slips an arm into the sleeve, he makes eye contact with the brunette.

She sees the long, muscular form slide himself from behind the table and stand. Her eyes locking with his, she sits up straight when he starts to walk toward her. She thinks about fixing her hair, but stops herself instantly.

While working the zipper of his jacket, he continues to look directly into her eyes as he walks in her direction.

Her mouth goes dry the closer he get, but when he walks past her, she slumps in disappointment. She notices the bad boy look about him; the tattoos, the leather, his day-old beard. Although he's not the type of man she would typically go for, this man certainly has her insides reacting, especially when she hears the motorcycle fire up outside. She knows it's his and visualizes herself riding behind him, holding on to him, and when she hears the loud roar of the motor, she feels the vibration rumble through her body as he speeds down the street.

She's never seen him around before, but he must be a local, otherwise the guys at the bar would be pestering him just to get him to leave. She shrugs and returns her focus to her friends.

Bella still hasn't gotten over the patient she lost a few days ago. A woman was in a horrific traffic accident with her husband. He didn't make it and was killed instantly, but Bella tried her best to save the woman. In the end, Mrs. Cullen couldn't be saved.

Not new to death in the emergency room, she doesn't know why this one has hit her the hardest. Bella recalls seeing Mrs. Cullen around town, at the grocery store and at church, but she never knew her. She just always thought that the woman had a kind face.

~.~

After meeting with the funeral director and picking out the caskets, Edward selects the headstone that will be placed over his parents' gravesites. He really has no idea how much all of this will cost, but the director said that his parents made arrangements years ago, so Edward wouldn't have to suffer the expense. It's already been paid for.

Looking at his watch, he walks the three blocks to Mr. Andrews' office to go over the will. As he enters the building, he runs into Jasper for a second time.

"What are you doing here, Jasper?" Edward asks as they enter the elevator.

"Dunno. Andrews called me and told me to be here," he replies. When they step off the elevator, the receptionist greets them, her eyes immediately land on Edward.

"You must be Edward Cullen?" she asks. He simply nods and waits.

"And I'm Jasper Whitlock," he says, rolling his eyes at her, noting how he was ignored with Edward standing next to him. Edward's unusual good looks was inherited from his father, because Carlisle got the attention from the ladies as well.

"Oh, yes, right," she mutters, looking at the appointment book. "Please, have a seat and I'll tell Mr. Andrews you're here. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea, water?"

"No, thanks," Edward replies quickly. Jasper just shakes his head, feeling the question was directed at Edward any way.

It doesn't take long for Andrews to come out of his office to greet the two and escorts them to the conference room.

"Thanks for coming, gentlemen," he begins. He sits at the head of the table, and Edward and Jasper sit to the right and left of him.

"First off, Edward, I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Your parents were some of the kindest people I knew. They were also very active in preparing for this day. Along with the funeral planning, they wanted it so you wouldn't have to worry about anything in the event of their untimely death." Andrews sorts through the papers and folds his hands over the small pile and sighs.

"Let's begin. Edward, your father's fishing charter fleet is very successful. I think when you left Mendocino, he had two boats. There are now five. It's his wish that you continue on with the family business. In the event that you don't have an interest in the company, Jasper Whitlock has first right of refusal."

Jasper gasps and sits back in his seat. "He knew I wouldn't let the business go into anyone else's hands," he says quietly.

"Next, Edward, the house is mortgage-free and is now yours. There's a life insurance policy in each of your parents' names. Both policies are valued at two million dollars apiece. I have already ordered copies of the death certificates, and I'm waiting to send them to the insurance company. I will call you when the checks arrive and I can help you set up accounts when you are ready. I can also direct you to your father's investment broker."

When Edward hears this bit of news, the blood rushes to his brain. His face becomes flush with shock.

"F … four million dollars!?" he stammers.

"Yes. Plus all of the assets. Your father was quite the investor. I have a file here with all the properties you hold title to. You are a very wealthy man, Mr. Cullen."

Edward is stunned to the point of stupidity at how yesterday he was counting change in his pocket to buy a hamburger, and today he needs to hire a financial consultant.

"Jasper, you were like a son to Carlisle. He was very fond of you. It was his hope that you would stay on and help Edward run the business, knowing that he doesn't have an interest in it. He's also left you one hundred thousand dollars to help you get on your feet in the event you wish to move on and start your own company."

Jasper's eyes tear up, and he looks up at Edward.

"We'll talk, Jasper," Edward says. He needs to digest all of this and decide what he wants to do.

"Here's your file," Andrews says, handing a blue folder to Edward. "It has a list of all the properties your parents have left to you. If you have any questions, give me a call. I'm prepared to stay on retainer for if you need me, or I can refer you to another firm if you wish."

"No. I'm good. I'll go over this and call you. I'm sure I'll have questions." Mr. Andrews nods and the three stand, shake hands, and just like that, the meeting is over.

As Edward and Jasper ride down the elevator, the two make plans to meet after the funeral, which will be held in two days.

Just as soon as the doors open, Edward's phone vibrates in his pocket. His first response is to ignore it, but with everything that's going on, he answers it.

"Edward," she says in the all too familiar tone. It's the voice she uses when she wants something.

"What do you want, Angela?" he asks, impatiently, surprised at her call because he hasn't heard from her in over three months.

"Oh, stop it," she retorts playfully. "Bart told me about your parents."

"And?" Edward continues with his cool tone.

"And I wanted to see how you're doing? Is there anything wrong with that?" she demands, anger riling her now.

"No, not if that's all you want," he replies. He's waiting for the ball to drop.

"I heard your father had a business up there. Are you going to stay there and run it?"

And there it is.

"Yes, he did. I know what you're after, Angela, so let's just cut this short. I don't know if I'm going to keep it or sell it. Yes, there was an inheritance and, no, I'm not going to tell you how much. And no, I'm not sharing it with you, or spending it on you, so don't think about coming up here. You ended our relationship because I was too poor for you, remember? Goodbye, Angela." With that, Edward hangs up his phone, gets behind the wheel and pulls away from the curb.

He looks at the blue folder sitting on the seat beside him and inwardly admits he's curious about what's inside it. He doesn't consider himself a businessman and had only toyed with the idea of opening his own garage, but if there's strip malls, hotels and shit in there, he might have to sell those.

As soon as he pulls his mother's car into the garage, he grabs the folder and enters the house. Taking a cold beer from the refrigerator, he heads for the living room, spreading the papers on the coffee table.

He lifts the bottle to his lips but stops midway when he sees that there are two office buildings in San Francisco, three rental properties in Mendocino, stock options and the deed to the house. According the documents, there's a property management firm that handles the properties and an investment firm for the financial end.

"Whoa, dad. You didn't fuck around, did you?" Edward says after he lets go of a low whistle.

Sitting back, he takes his beer with him and mentally reviews everything Andrews said today, along with everything in the file. He no longer has to live from paycheck to paycheck. Although this new-found financial freedom feels really good, it came at too high a price. He'd rather have his parents here with him more than anything.

~.~

Edward wakes before the sun comes up. He didn't sleep well knowing this is going to be the roughest day of his life. He's burying his mother and father today. He's grateful that he has the help of Mrs. Cope, his mother's best friend. She's been a godsend in that she has pretty much taken care of everything.

After the funeral, everyone is invited to his house for the wake and it seems most of the town stops by to give their condolences. That, and to bring food for him to put in the freezer, so he won't have to cook for the next five years. Although he's grateful for their consideration, he really just wants to be alone.

While speaking to a couple of his father's clients, Edward looks up and spies a head of long brown hair. He keeps his eyes glued on her until she turns around, and when she does, their eyes lock again, just like the night at the pub. Not wanting to be rude, he looks back at the two gentlemen telling a memorable story about his father and smiles at them. He then looks back to the brunette, but she's gone. He scans the room for her to no avail. Unfortunately, he has to return his attention to his father's friends.

"Mr. Cullen," a sweet voice says behind him. He turns to the sound of it. "I just wanted to give my condolences. I didn't really know your parents, other than seeing them around town, but I'm sorry for your loss," the brunette says.

"Edward, come over here and meet your mother's classmates," a woman says, taking him away by the arm … and away from the brunette. When he turns to speak to her, she's gone.

~.~

Mrs. Cope is the only person remaining now, helping clean up the dishes.

"Mrs. Cope, is it wrong of me to say that I'm glad that it's over?" he asks, taking the garbage can around the room, collecting paper cups and tossing them in.

"Oh, no, Edward. Everyone feels that way. I'm sure you just want to be alone, so you can start the grieving process. It's been a whirlwind for you these past few days. Now you can start living again."

"I guess," he says absentmindedly.

"Do you know what you're going to do? Are you going to stay here or go back to Los Angeles?" she asks, curiously. "I really do hope you stay. I know your father would want you to keep the business going and take care of this house. Your mother loved this house, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," he says, looking around the rooms. "Dad had it built for her. He gave her anything she wanted."

"I know. He loved her so much. I'm glad they're together," she says to herself. "I know that doesn't make you feel any better, but I am."

"I don't know if one would ever be the same without the other," Edward says, continuing to toss trash in the can.

"I'm going to meet with Jasper this week to talk to him about the business. I don't know what I'm going to do yet. There's not a huge market here for motorcycle repair."

Edward has always liked it here, but he enjoys what he does, and he needs to be realistic.

"Well, you could always do boat engine repair. I know there's a need for that here. All I hear are complaints from boat owners that there's not a good mechanic in town, and they have to haul their boats out of town to get decent help," Mrs. Cope volunteers.

Edward stops and looks at her, thinking that's not a half-bad idea. He could do that as well as bike repair.

"I'll think about it," he says. He has some serious thinking to do about a lot of things.

Finally alone, he sits in the quiet and mulls over Mrs. Cope's idea … and the brunette with the sweet voice.


	2. Chapter 2

I told myself I wasn't going to clutter up this story with A/N, but this needs to be said.

Thank you all so much for your kind words welcoming me back to FFN and your love for this new story. I enjoy writing them for people like you. Thank you.

Secondly, for those of you that have been waiting for my book, I'll Be Seeing You (aka In Plain Sight), it's finally done and due out on Amazon Books on September 12th. I just wanted you to know that the book can be ordered on Pre-Sale. I hope you log on and check out the book cover and let me know what you think. If you do order it, I hope you like the new characters and the new content. You'll find it under my name A.P. Hallmark.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

It's been three days since the funeral, and Edward has yet to speak to Jasper about his plans for the business. He also hasn't come to a decision on whether he's staying or not. Frustrated, he slips on his leather jacket, grabs his keys and fires up the Harley.

It's been a while since he's been to the water, and today seems like a good day to do that. While riding through the middle of town, he's stopped by one of the three traffic lights, and he hears a familiar voice shout.

"Why, Wyatt Earp, how the hell are ya?" a loud booming voice yells a line from Edward's favorite movie, _Tombstone_.

Edward drops his head forward and grins. There's only one person that would know that.

"I'm rollin, Doc. How the hell are you?"

Edward rides his bike up to the curb and shuts the engine off, swinging his leg over the seat.

The two men embrace in a fierce hug, pounding each other's back.

"Emmett, you fucker. Where the hell have you been? I've been looking all over for you," Edward says, his hands clamping down on Emmett's shoulders.

"After you took off, I finished my internship in New York, and now I'm working here in a small hospital, of all things. You know how we always talked about working in a big hospital? Well, here I am. There's no high-paced pressure, yet it keeps my mind stimulated, you know?"

"I've missed you, man," Edward confesses. He can't remember the last time they spoke except for a few emails here and there to keep in touch.

"Me too," Emmett replies. "I heard about your parents. I'm really sorry. I wish there was something I could have done to help. I wasn't the doctor on call, Swan was, but they did everything they could to save her."

"Yeah, I know," Edward mumbles.

"So, are you living here now? God, I hope so. There's no one at that hospital worthy to even think about hanging with except a few of the nurses," Emmett sighs.

"I haven't decided yet, but seeing you here sure tips the scale a bit. My dad left me in a pretty good situation. I won't have to work for a while, but you know me, I can't sit around."

"Oh, dude, stick around. We could have a blast. I still get shit hours at the hospital, but we can still hang out. I may even open my own practice."

"I still have to talk to Jasper. He's the guy that managed the boats for my dad. He wants to keep it going, but I have zero interest in taking a bunch of tourists fishing," Edward confesses.

"So? Let him," Emmett prompts.

"Yeah. I've been rolling a few ideas around. I need to sit down with him," Edward muses.

"So where are you off to now, man?" Emmett asks, looking down the street.

"I was just going for a ride. Want to get on the back and go with?" Edward asks with a chuckle.

"Fuck no! Do you want all the nurses to think I'm gay?"

"What's wrong with being gay?" Edward admonishes.

"Nothing if you like penis … which I don't! Besides, I'm trying to make a play for Dr. Swan's Physician's Assistant. She's a tough one but will be worth it in the end," Emmett says, closing his eyes and grinning.

"Okay, you want to have a beer instead?" Edward asks, changing the subject.

"You read my mind."

Both men walk across the street to The Shack, pull out stools at the bar and get settled.

"Rogan, don't you ever go home?" Emmett comments.

"I went home once last week, and me own wife didn't recognize me," he says, beaming at his own joke. "What'll ye have, lads?"

"I'll take a Fat Boy," Edward says first.

"I'll have one of those too," Emmett adds.

Once the beers are set in front of them, Emmett is the first to speak.

"I'm really sorry about your folks, Edward. That's gotta be rough."

"If you don't mind, I really don't want to talk about it. There's really nothing to say. They were killed, and there's nothing I can do about it, ya know?" Edward utters painfully.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, bud."

"No worries. It sure is good to see you though," Edward says, changing the subject. "I really missed you all these years. As soon as I got to L.A. all hell broke loose. I got a job at this garage and started doing what I love."

"You always did like tinkering," Emmett says. "Are you going to open your own garage now that you are staying?"

Edward smirks, and, in contemplation, begins peeling the label off his beer bottle. "Naw. I'm thinking I might open a shop out on the docks. My dad had one built, so he could work on his own boats. I think I may use it to do my own thing."

"If I wasn't such a masculine, macho man, I'd fangirl you right now and hug the shit out of you," Emmett squeals, hugging himself in blissful elation.

Both men roll their eyes and laugh.

"Seriously, though, I'm really happy you're going to stick around." Edward nods, deciding sticking around might not be so bad after all.

Just as the two order their second beer, Jasper walks in and sits on the vacant stool next to Edward.

"I thought you might be in here, seein' as your bike is parked out front and all," he says.

"Yep," Edward replies. "Want a beer?"

"Sure." Rogan is one step ahead of them and is already pouring a draft.

"Jasper, this is Emmett … Dr. McCarty, actually. He's a good friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you, Emmett," Jasper says.

Standing up, he reaches behind Edward to shake Emmett's hand.

"You too," Emmett replies with his usual wide smile.

Jasper takes a draw of his beer then turns his head to look at Edward.

Anticipating what he's is about to say, the decision comes to him.

"Looks like I'm staying," Edward says, cutting Jasper's words off.

Jasper looks at him surprised and dumbfounded.

"I want you to run the business," Edward begins, speaking to his beer bottle. "I don't really want to have a roll in running it. We'll continue to let the accountant pay the bills, and you can do the booking, the entertaining, all of it," Edward says looking at Jasper for his opinion.

"He looks like he's going to fangirl you too, Edward," Emmett says laughing.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Jasper interrupts then asks, "But what are you planning on doing then?"

"I'm going to take the workshop down at the marina and turn it into a repair shop for boat motors," Edward replies.

"That's great! Your dad always toyed with that idea because there's only two other mechanics in this town, and they suck at it. You could really get something going there."

"I'll stop by the shop in a few days and see what I might need, then go down and apply for a business license," Edward says, rubbing his chin.

"I think you'll be surprised at what's in there. Your dad didn't skimp on his tools. He had five boats to maintain, and he did it himself, so you'll find everything you need," Jasper adds.

"Cool," Edward says quietly.

After an hour of planning and catching up, the three move to leave when a group of laughing females enter the pub. Just as quickly as they stand up, all three sit back down.

"Eddie, that's the girl I was telling you about. She's the tall blonde," Emmett whispers.

Edward turns to look over his shoulder, but it isn't the blonde that has caught his eye. It's the brunette.

"Who's that!?" Jasper asks, mesmerized.

Emmett follows his eyes and sees a petite sprite with short dark hair, nearly skipping toward a large round table. "I don't know, but that bombshell has my loins working double time."

Edward keeps his eyes locked on the brunette as she walks across the room toward the table. Rosalie says something to her two friends, and they all turn to look at the three guys sitting at the bar.

Once Bella sees him, she instantly feels the heat rush to her cheeks.

"I'm going to go introduce myself to Rosalie," Emmett threatens. "I've seen her around the hospital, but I always puss out when I go to talk to her. Not today. Today's the day."

He takes his beer bottle and drains it before getting up the nerve.

Emmett eagerly crosses the floor toward the ladies table, and Jasper jumps up to catch up with him, intent on meeting the energetic one.

It doesn't take them long to be invited to join their group, and when Emmett turns to call Edward over, they see him walking toward the door.

Bella looks over her shoulder to watch the tall quiet man leaving. Edward offers her a quick nod and a smirk before the door shuts behind him. Bella contemplatively returns to her cocktail.

"What's up with him?" Rosalie asks. Bella lifts her head to hear Emmett's reply.

"Oh, that's just Edward," Emmett offers.

~.~

"Edward Cullen?" the deep voice says behind him.

"Yeah, that's me," Edward replies, not looking up from the motor he's working on. He's elbow deep in motor oil, and it's going everywhere.

"I'm Chief Swan."

As soon as the visitor identifies himself as the Chief, Edward turns his head around and begins searching his brain, trying to recall if he'd done something wrong.

"First, I want to say how sorry I am to hear about your folks."

"Thanks," he replies, taking a rag out of his back pocket to wipe his hands.

"I heard you're starting your own engine repair shop?" the Chief asks, looking around the small workshop.

"Yep," Edward replies simply.

"I was wanting to bring my outboard motor in for repair. It keeps staling, and I can't seem to figure it out," the Chief of Police says rubbing the back of his neck.

"Did you change the plug?" The Chief cocks his head to the side and raises his eyebrow.

"Um … right," Edward replies, feeling like an ass for asking such a ridiculous question.

The Chief points his thumb over his shoulder and says, "I have it right outside. Can I just leave it here?"

Edward looks around his shop, wondering where on earth he's going to store it. He has more work than he knows what to do with as it is. He just doesn't have it in him to turn down the Chief of Police.

"Sure, um, we can put it right over here on this pallet, I guess," Edward tosses the rag onto the workbench and heads outside to the Chief's truck. Together they lift the boat motor and place it on the pallet.

"When can I expect it back? I need it by next weekend. I promised my daughter I'd take her fishing, and to get her out on the water with me is a miracle in itself," the Chief says nervously.

"Um, I'll do the best I can, Chief. I'm pretty busy, but I'll try to get it to you as soon as I can. That's all I can promise."

The Chief pulls a card out of his wallet and hands it to Edward. "Here's my card. Call me and let me know when I can pick it up."

"I will," Edward says, looking at the embossed card, then tossing it on the work bench.

By the middle of the week, Edward repairs enough engines to free up time to get to the Chief's motor. After finding the problem it doesn't take him long to fix it. As he tries to lift the engine off the repair rack and back onto the pallet, he loses his grip and his footing. In an attempt to regain his hold on the motor to avoid dropping it, his chest meets the propeller, and his back hits the ground. Managing to get to his knees, he rights the motor onto the pallet and absentmindedly rubs the sharp pain in his chest. When he pulls his wet hand back, he finds blood dripping through his fingers.

Looking down at his shirt, he sees it's soaked with blood, and when he looks down through the neckline of his shirt, all he sees is blood and the meat of his pectoral muscle.

"Well, fuck," he mutters.

Stopping to think what to do next, he grabs the keys to the car, closes the door to the shop and locks it. Feeling a little light headed, he hopes he makes it to the emergency room before he passes out.

Pulling up to the entrance, he pours himself out of the car and heads toward the ER. It doesn't take long for a nurse to spot him staggering through the doors, stumbling toward the desk.

"I need a gurney over here!" the nurse yells as she runs toward him from behind the desk.

The next thing Edward knows is that he's being lifted onto the bed and his shirt is being ripped off, buttons flying everywhere.

"Sir? What's your name, sir?"

"Ed … Edward Cullen," he answers, barely audible.

"What do we have here?" a woman's voice asks.

"This is Edward Cullen. He has a deep laceration on his left pectoral," an intern states as he tends to the bleeding.

Just as Edward's about to lose consciousness, his eyes make contact with his brunette.

"Mr. Cullen? I'm Dr. Isabella Swan. How did this happen?" she asks, bending over his body to closely examine the wound.

 _Swan?_ Edward asks himself. _As in Chief Swan?_

"Your… your dad …" And with that, Edward succumbs to the pain and loses consciousness.

Taken aback, Bella jerks upward into a standing position.

"My Dad?" she questions as the nursing staff scurries to insert an I.V. and vitals are taken.

After a few moments of speculation of how her father could possibly be involved, she returns to her task at hand. Cleansing the wound, she determines that the gash is deep and works to save the muscle tissue and uses staples to close the skin.

As soon as she finishes, she digs her cell phone from her pocket and calls her father.

"Dad, I have Edward Cullen lying in my emergency room with a deep gouge to his chest. What did you do!?" she exclaims.

"What?" he barks out. "I didn't do anything to him. I haven't even seen him since I dropped my boat motor off at his place last week."

"Hmmm," she contemplates, peeking at Edward over her shoulder. "I wonder if that's how it happened. Maybe he was working on it and injured himself."

"I'll drive over to his shop and check it out. Maybe Jasper will know something," her father suggests.

After her conversation with her father, Bella returns to Edward's side to examine the bandage. She doesn't want the wound bleeding and seeping through the gauze.

Startled by a deep groan, she looks into Edward's eyes and sees pain there.

"Do you need anything for your pain, Mr. Cullen?" she asks, placing the cuff on his arm to take his blood pressure again.

"No. I'm good," he mumbles, wincing as he says it.

"Sure you are," she says sarcastically. "I'm certainly not going to push drugs on you, but if you're in pain, we can control it. It's affecting your blood pressure," she advises, walking to the computer to log his vitals.

"I have a high tolerance for pain. I'll let you know when it gets bad," he says, watching her every move.

As soon as she turns around from the computer, he quickly closes his eyes.

Returning to his bedside, she runs her fingertips over the tape, making sure it isn't lifting from his skin. When she touches his bare skin, she hears his sharp intake of breath at the same time.

"Did that hurt, Mr. Cullen?" He shakes his head in response.

Mesmerized by the sight before her, her eyes scan over his chest, noting the tone muscles, and when her gaze moves downward to his abdomen, she's tempted to count the "packs" there. _Does he have a six or an eight pack_? she ponders. She moves a little closer to examine the tattoos on his arms, wondering if he's a member of some L.A. gang.

Rudely interrupting her scrutiny, he asks, "When can I go home?"

"Oh, um, I want to keep you until your blood pressure lowers a bit more. I'm also sending you home with a prescription of Percocet. Make sure you fill it. You'll need it in the middle of the night, all right?" she asks, her hand resting on his arm.

"You're the doctor," he muses.

"Do you have someone that can pick you up and take you home?" she asks as she takes his pulse.

"Yeah," he says, not sure who to call. He thinks Mrs. Cope might be around and makes a mental note to call her as soon as the doctor unhands him. For now, he's just enjoying being near her.

"Rest for a bit, Mr. Cullen. I'll be back to check on you."

"Edward. My name is Edward," he says as a request that she call him by his first name.

What each other don't know is that as soon as the good doctor leaves the room, both close their eyes and sigh. Edward sighs at having her touch him, and Bella for seeing his muscular chest and arms.

~.~

It takes a week before Edward returns to his shop, finally able to move his left arm without grimacing in pain. To help out, Jasper brought in his nephew to move the heavier pieces. This way Edward didn't rip out his stitches and to allow the wound to heal more quickly.

"Hey, Edward." Glancing up from his work table, he sees Charlie Swan and his daughter entering his shop.

"Chief." His eyes flit between the two but ultimately land on Bella.

"Hello, Edward," she says quietly, looking at him through her lashes. Slowly standing, he nods a hello to her and takes a dirty rag to wipe his hands.

"You here to pick up your motor?" Edward asks.

"Yep. That and Bella wanted to check your bandage since you haven't seen her since the accident. She was worried about you," her father says, using air quotes.

"Dad!" she exclaims, her face screaming with fire. "I merely said I would come with you to check his stitches."

"Um … sure," Edward says, looking around the shop for the sole purpose of avoiding eye contact with her, fearing she will see through him.

"Paul, would you help the Chief lift this motor into his truck?" Edward shouts.

Paul comes running in from the dock, lifting the motor by himself, and gently placing it on the utility blanket already spread out.

"Do you have somewhere I can change your dressing?" Bella asks, lifting her medical bag from the front seat of her father's truck.

"Here," he says, pointing toward his make-shift office.

As he enters the small room, he reaches behind his head and tugs on his shirt, pulling it off.

Walking behind his desk, he wheels his chair into the center of the room, taking a seat. As she begins to gently tug at the sticky tape, she hisses knowing it has to hurt.

"Have you had any pain at night?" she asks him, removing the last piece of tape.

"A little," he answers, looking down at his hands.

"Are you taking your pain meds?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't need them."

Bella shakes her head at him and removes the thick pad from his wound.

"You should have come in, Edward. Look at this," she scolds as she holds out the pad showing him the discolored liquid that has seeped through the stitches.

He looks at it and then at her pitifully.

"Sorry."

Bella bends to look more closely at the stitches, hoping there's no infection. Satisfied there isn't, she applies an antibiotic ointment on the fresh pad and re-tapes it to his chest.

"Edward, you need to take better care of this. It's clear you haven't changed this because it's the same dressing I applied at the hospital. What are you doing to protect it from the shower?" she asks, her arms folded across her chest.

"I tape a piece of plastic over it," he answers.

"That's good. Keep doing that and come see me in three days, okay? I want to take another look at you … it. I want to take another look at it … your cut," she stammers, mentally cursing herself. "I want to see if we can remove the stitches, all right?"

"At the hospital?" Edward asks.

"No, at my office at the Mendocino Medical Complex. I'm on the ninth floor. Can you come in at nine o'clock?" she asks, pulling her phone from her pocket, adding the appointment to her calendar.

"Sure. I'll be there," he says, shoving his arms into his shirt, pulling it over his head recalling that's one of the buildings his dad owned.

Bella takes her bag up from the desk and smirks when he catches her look up from her phone to his crotch. He opens the door for her and they head to where her father is waiting for her in his truck.

"See you on Thursday, Edward."

He nods in confirmation and then waves to the Chief.

"Let me know how that motor does for you." Charlie waves in agreement as he pulls away from the docks.

Edward walks back to his shop, and can't help but grin at her sneaking a peek at the front of his jeans. He also can't get her fragrance out of his head. The way she was bent so close to him, his nose could almost get buried in her hair.

The first thing he does is go to the calendar that hangs on the wall behind his desk and writes … _Bella, 9:00._

In a smirk he inherited from his father, he stands back admiring the only entry on the calendar.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone. As a heads up on this story's posting schedule … most of you that are familiar with my writing and posting style, I generally post once a week. My RL is kicking my ass, so I must drop this back to every two weeks. Sorry, but I have a lot on my plate and once I get some of it cleaned up, I will revert back to once a week.

Thanks to all of you that pre-ordered I'll Be Seeing You (aka In Plain Sight). I hope you enjoy it. Stay tuned for I See You.

 **Chapter 3**

The day of his appointment with Dr. Swan, Mrs. Cope digs the red shop rag from his laundry and makes him vow never to do his own laundry again. Handing him his favorite white shirt that is now pink, he blushes the same color in embarrassment. She can't help but smile as he hangs his head in remorse and walks out the door for his appointment.

After making his way across town to Bella's private practice, he's greeted by the short dark haired gremlin that Jasper is smitten with.

"Good morning, Edward. My name is Alice. Alice Black," she says, holding out her hand in introduction.

Taking a good look at her, he can see why Jasper has fallen for her. She's very pretty.

"Morning," he says with a nod, looking around the waiting room for a seat after releasing her hand.

"Come with me. Dr. Swan is all set up and ready to remove those stitches. Twenty-seven of them, right?" she asks, nearly skipping down the hallway.

"I didn't count" he replies with a shrug, his hand instinctively covering the bandage.

Patting the end of the table, she instructs him to sit there while she takes his vitals.

"Take off your shirt and lay back," she says as she pulls two purple rubber gloves out of a box, slipping them on as she gives her instructions.

"I'm going to remove your bandage and clean the wound area, then the doctor will be in to remove your stitches, all right?" she asks.

"I'll do that, Alice," Bella says, slipping into the room. Edward slowly inhales as she passes by. He really likes her fragrance.

"Are you sure? I always —"

"I'll take care of it," Bella reiterates with a smile. Alice shrugs and removes her gloves, tossing them in the trash as she leaves the room.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen," Bella says pulling two gloves from the box.

"Doctor," he replies in return, checking out her ass while she reviews his file that's spread out on the counter.

Edward folds his arms under his head using them as a pillow while he watches her. Wiping the area with an iodine substance, she begins to remove the first staple.

"Would you place your left arm by your side, Edward? You're stretching the skin around the staples."

As he lowers his arm, his hand lightly grazes her breast.

Looking up at her, he can see a full blush on her face. Not just on her cheeks, but all the way down under her blouse. He wonders if her breasts turn pink as well. He'd like to find out.

"Sorry," he says, the corner of his mouth turning upward.

"It happens all the time," she says dismissing the action, trying to remain professional.

His head whips in her direction, a look of pure surprise on his face. "It does?"

She nods. "Occupational hazard."

"Pardon me?" she asks when she hears him mumble under his breath.

"Nothing. Are you done?" he asks, his eyes focused on the water-stained ceiling tiles.

"I haven't even started yet," she says, pulling out the first staple.

Edward closes his eyes at feeling the slight pinch, but other than that, it doesn't hurt. He counts as she pulls on each stitch and when he reaches twenty-seven, he hears her drop the metal tool onto the metal tray. Just as he's ready to sit up, she pushes him down again.

"Don't be in such a hurry. I need to examine the scar and redress it."

"Shit," he curses under his breath. "I don't want another bandage. Can't you just put a big Band-Aid on it?" he grumbles.

Bella takes another close look at the long scar, inwardly liking how it fits in so well with the tattoos that riddle his upper body. She also determines that it needs another dressing.

"It needs to be kept clean for a few days at least," she says, admiring her handy work as she pulls off her rubber gloves. "I tell you what, when it starts to itch, you can remove the bandage, all right?" she says, smiling down at him.

The instinct to raise his hand to touch the soft skin of her face is intense. So intense that he fists his hands to avoid touching her. Bella, on the other hand, uses this opportunity to touch him freely simply because she can.

Shaking her head, she ends the examination and tells him he can sit up and put his shirt back on.

After he jumps off the table, Edward reaches for his shirt, slipping it over his head. She can't help but sneak another peek while he's not looking.

"Thanks, Doc," he says, running his fingers through his unkempt hair, attempting to give it some semblance of order.

"You're welcome."

"See ya around then," he says.

She offers him a small smile, her stomach doing somersaults at the way he looks at her out the corner of his eye. It reminds her of James Dean.

As Edward walks down the hall toward the reception desk, Bella overhears Alice call his name and heads in their direction.

"Oh, hey, Edward," Alice says, calling him over to her. "Listen, the hospital puts on a charity softball game every year to help fund the playroom for our smaller patients. We also have a playground on the property that is completely funded by our charity games, and we want to add a new merry-go-round. A nice one, not a cheap one. Anyway, I've recruited your friends, Dr. McCarty and Jasper to be on our team. We need two more players … are you interested in filling one of the spots?"

"Um …, " he says, beginning to decline. He's not into organized sports. Not since high school anyway.

"It will be Emmett and Jasper, of course, Dr. Swan, me and Rosalie, then we have four other doctors from the night shift and a guy from maintenance. If you joined, I'd only need one more."

"When is it?" he asks. His interest is piqued when he hears Bella's on the team.

"June twelfth."

"Who's the catcher?" he asks.

"We don't have anyone good enough yet. I'm the pitcher because I'm … fast."

"I'll be catcher," he says reluctantly.

"Okay, then. Perfect," she says, bouncing in place as she writes his name on the list.

"Thanks, Edward," she beams.

"Sure. Let me know the practice schedule." His eyebrows shoot up when he sees a look of panic on her face. "You will organize practice won't you?"

"Um … I hadn't gotten that far," she says.

"You want to win don't you?" Alice's head rapidly bobs up and down. "Then you need to practice."

"Okay. Once we get the team put together, I'll send out emails to let everyone know when and where, all right?"

Edward nods and just as he turns to leave, he notices movement down the hall. Looking over his shoulder, he sees Bella scurrying toward her office. He grins knowing the quiet Dr. Swan was eavesdropping.

~.~

"Finally," he says when he sees the delivery truck from the local nursery pull into the driveway.

Edward wanted to honor his parents in some way, so when Mrs. Cope suggested a memorial tree, he thought that would be perfect. After a long search, he decides on a Globe Willow thinking it's beautiful and graceful like his mother, and strong and lasting like his father.

After choosing a space in the large front yard, he gathers the tools he needs, dropping them next to the tree. Going into the house, he removes his shirt and pulls a couple bottles of water from the refrigerator then returns to begin.

Picking up the shovel, he spears the lawn, making the first cut. Digging a hole large and deep enough to support the tree, he unwraps the roots and covers it with the loose dirt. Standing back, he observes his handy work. Satisfied, he retrieves the garden hose, and waters it. Completing his task, he picks up the tools and heads for the house for a much needed shower.

Bella does a double take when she sees an attractive man with a bare torso digging a hole in his front yard. With each thrust, muscles ripple down his back and arms. His arms are covered with tattoos and it doesn't take her long to recognize the patterns of them.

"Edward?" she whispers out loud as she removes her foot from the gas pedal to slow down. When his body twists to dump the dirt on his shovel into the dirt pile, he turns to repeat the action, sweat gleaming off his body. When he stops to wipe his brow with his arm, she nearly salivates.

"Good grief, Bella," she admonishes herself, then continues on her way to Rosalie's.

"What's wrong with you?" Rosalie asks, seeing an odd change in Bella's demeanor.

"Oh, nothing. I just found out where that Edward Cullen guy lives. He lives about two blocks from you. Did you know that?"

"No, but from what I understand, he's only been here a few weeks. He lives in his parents' house now, right?" Rose asks, pouring iced tea for them.

"I don't know, probably," Bella confirms. "Did I tell you he came into the ER with a huge gash in his chest?"

"No! What happened?" Rosalie asks, her eyes wide with surprise.

"He was actually working on my dad's boat motor and was lifting it to place it on a workbench and it slipped out of his grip. He tried to save it from hitting the ground when the propeller sliced into his pectoral muscle. It was pretty deep too," Bella explains, taking a minute to sip her iced tea and pop a piece of cheese into her mouth.

"So you had your hands on that sexy being?" Rosalie jests.

"Rose, you should see this man without a shirt. Holy shit. Talk about bad boy with all those muscles covered in tattoos, and that hair!"

Rosalie sits back, folding her arms over her chest and listens as her friend goes on about Edward Cullen. It doesn't take her long to figure out that she has something for the guy.

"You like him," she says matter of factly. Bella's head snaps in Rose's direction and her brow furrows at her.

"Wh … what? Why do you say that? He's a nice guy. I have no reason to dislike him, Rosalie," Bella scoffs, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

"Did I tell you that Dr. McCarty finally asked me out?" Rosalie asks, changing the subject. "After all that time of him staring at my tits and ass, too."

"Are you serious? Are you going?"

"Hell, yes, I'm going. Have you not seen him?" Rose replies. "He said he's been wanting to ask me for a while but didn't have the balls. His words, not mine."

"He's one of the more handsome doctors on staff. Let me know how the date goes," Bella says, then smacks her hands on her thighs and gets up from her seat. "Let's get this done."

Both girls head for the kitchen where Bella proceeds to lighten the roots of Rose's blonde locks.

"Hey, weren't you the doctor on call when Edward Cullen's parents were in that accident?" Rose asks.

"Yeah. His dad was already gone, but it was his mother that I tried to save."

"The funeral was so sad. I don't know Edward, but by the look on his face, he was truly hurting. My heart bled for him that day," Bella says sadly, running a bead of hair color over the dark roots.

"I heard it was sad. Everyone knew the Cullens. They were really liked in the community. I don't recall hearing about Edward though. Have you?" Rosalie asks, filing her nails while getting her hair done.

"Nope. I think he's lived in L. A. since he got out of high school. Mrs. Cope said he's going to be staying here now and taking over the family business," Bella adds, a weird sense of pleasure coming over her talking so freely about him.

"Perhaps we'll get to know him a little better if things work out with McCarty and me," Rose says lightly.

"Why do you say that," Bella asks, adding more hair color.

"Apparently the two of them are besties. Didn't you see them together at The Shack that night?" Rosalie points out.

"Yeah. I wonder why Edward left without coming over to the table," Bella ponders out loud.

"Dunno."

It's then that Bella's cell phone rings and she jumps at the sound. Rushing to her purse, she looks to find it's the hospital.

"Shit," she barks. "It's the hospital. I have to go. I'm sorry, Rose. Can you finish this yourself?"

"Oh yeah. You got the hard part anyway," Rosalie mumbles, looking at her hair in the mirror.

"Okay. See you tomorrow at the hospital, hon," Bella says rushing out the door.

As Bella drives down the street, she slows as she passes Edward's house and can't resist looking. Seeing him in his garage, he's kneeling looking at something on his motorcycle. As she creeps past his house, she strains her head and neck to keep her eyes on him.

It's the crashing sound that brings Edward to his feet only to find a blue BMW has crashed into his mailbox. He runs across the street to see of the driver is okay and finds Bella hugging the steering wheel laughing hysterically.

"Bella?" he asks, tentatively. He places his hands on the top of her car, bending down to check on her.

She turns her face toward him.

"Yeah," she replies, with a hearty belly laugh.

"What happened?" he asks, opening the door to help her out. Once she's on her feet, he examines the damage to the car and then to the mail box.

"I'll replace it," she says, her laughter down to giggles now.

"How the hell did you do this?" he continues to ask probing questions. Her laughter is back in full force. She's laughing at herself though. If he knew she wrecked her brand new BMW checking him out, she would be mortified.

"You don't want to know," she replies.

Pulling her purse off the front seat, she hands him her business card and tells him to call her with the amount it's going to cost to replace the mailbox.

"I assume it's yours?" she asks, shaking her head in shame at herself. A grown professional woman does not ogle a man plowing her car off the road.

"Yeah, I think my dad built this stand. I'll fix it. Maybe I'll use concrete this time," he says, rubbing it in.

"Probably a good idea," she says in a giggle. "I'm sorry about this, Edward. Really."

"Just as long as you're okay," he replies, looking her over for injuries. "You're okay, right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. My pride is a little injured, but we'll be okay. I guess I need to get this into the shop," she says more to herself as she looks at the small dent and scratch on the bumper.

Edward catches her looking at him again, and after running his hand nervously over his bare chest, and looks in the direction of the garage where he left his shirt lying next to his bike. As if he's had a revelation, he slowly returns his attention to Bella's car, and then back to the garage. It's when his eyes settle on hers, she knows he's figured it out and a rush of heat washes over her.

In a heartbeat, she yanks open the car door and jumps inside, starting the engine.

Edward steps back from the car, locking his hands behind his head in a full show of his muscles.

"Be careful next time, Bella," he teases. Her fiercely flushed cheeks have now paled at his truthful insinuation.

As she pulls away, Bella looks at him in her rear view mirror and is mortified to see him laughing as he crosses the street toward his house.

~.~

"Okay boys and girls, if you're good there will be Kool-aid and cookies after practice," Alice teases. When she sees Emmett's eyes brighten, she adds, "No, not really, Emmett."

"Since some of you have been on our team for the past several years, you will hold the same positions as you always have. Edward is our catcher, so the remaining positions that need to be filled will be assigned after today's practice. I've arranged for another team to practice with us today, so are you all ready?"

After the first five innings, everyone has a nice flow going with the positions that are assigned and all the members play a hard and serious game. Edward likes that. He is in it to win it.

Bella's on second and when Emmett hits a grounder to the outfield, she takes off running, heading to third bas. When the ball is thrown to Royce, catches it and touches Bella with his glove. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he tackles her to the ground, spreading her out under him.

He's no longer playing ball.

"What are you doing, Royce?" Bella screams, struggling to get free of him.

"Now this position I can play all day," he says, nuzzling her neck. "Yeah, keep doing that," he adds as she continues to squirm out from under him.

"Get off of me," she demands, but when she bucks her body to get away, he grinds harder into her allowing her to feel his full erection.

Abruptly she feels the weight lift from her and jumps up immediately. Edward has Royce in a head lock, facing her. She stomps up to him and smacks him. Twice.

"Don't you _ever_ pull anything like that again, do you hear me?" she growls, mere inches from his face.

His sneer only pisses her off more but she wants to get away from him as soon as possible.

Edward on the other hand has other plans. Releasing Royce's head, he spins him around so that they are face to face.

"If you lay one finger on her again, you and I will settle this. Trust me, it won't be with a smack to your face," Edward seethes.

"Oh, really? You want a piece of that, too? I've been trying to get inside her panties for too long," he says, mocking Edward. "I will have her before you can get her phone number."

"I already have her phone number, dumbass, and I said you will not lay one finger on her," he growls, and in a blink of an eye, slams his fist into Royce's face.

"You son-of-a-bitch," Royce screams, blood gushing around his teeth.

"You scream like a girl," Emmett says from behind Edward. "And if I see you manhandle Dr. Swan like that again, I will make sure you won't be pushing a mop anywhere near this town."

Edward looks at Emmett questionably. "He's a fucking janitor?" When Emmett nods, they both burst out laughing.

Later that night, Edward can't rest and takes advantage of the business card Bella gave him and phones her.

"Dr. Swan," she answers curtly.

"It's Edward … Edward Cullen."

"Oh, hey, Edward. You aren't quitting the team, are you?" she asks worried that he might after today's drama.

"No," he replies. "I was just calling to see if you're okay."

"That's kind of you," she says, surprise evident in her voice. "I'm good, but that scared me. I should have known he would try something. He always does, but he's never been this brazen before."

"I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore," Edward says, wishing he could have done more to shut Royce up.

"I heard," Bella says through a sigh. "Rosalie said that his lip is so big, he slurps his coffee only to have it drizzle down his chin."

Edward smirks at the mental image he has, then says, "Okay, well, I was just checking. See you next week." Edward hangs up the phone before she can say goodbye which leaves her staring at the receiver.

At practice the following Saturday, Edward is surprised to see Royce show his face, fat lip and all. Throughout the afternoon, he can't help but notice how Royce's eyes follow Bella's every move and keeps a closer eye on him.

After practice, everyone gathers around and Alice makes her announcement.

"Okay, kids. In two weeks is our game against Grand Hospital. The more tickets you sell, the more we have to put toward the new equipment. I'd like to see those stands full of visitors supporting our hospital, all right?" she shouts, doing her best to pump up the team.

By game day, Edward had sold all his tickets … with the assistance of Mrs. Cope of course. Even he was surprised to see the stands filled with supporters of the game.

"Wow, Edward's a great catcher, isn't he?" Rosalie says to anyone that's listening.

"Yeah, he was really good in high school. He even made his college team until he dropped out. He could've gone pro they say," Emmett explains. "I think E is in his element right now. That, and when he's on his bike."

"You're _OUT_!" the umpire yells as Alice and Edward team up for another round of strike outs.

When the team hears that last strike, they shout and high-five one another in comradery at having won the game.

After the trophy ceremony, everyone is gathering their equipment when Alice pulls her friends to the side to suggest they meet later on for drinks at The Shack.

Edward and Bella's eyes meet as he turns to walk away.

"Yo, E, you comin'?" Emmett calls out to him.

Edward continues to walk toward the parking lot, raising a thumbs up, indicating he'll be there.

"He doesn't talk much, does he?" Bella asks, watching his swagger. She jumps when she hears herself moan in appreciation.

"Not until he gets to know you. Once he feels comfortable around you, he'll talk more," Emmett says. "But you Bells, he's especially quiet around you."

"Maybe he doesn't like me," she says with dejected undertones.

"Oh, I'm certain that's not the problem," Emmett says through a devilish grin. "Come Miss Hale. Let's get you showered so I can dirty you up again."

"Emmett McCarty!" Rose admonishes, giggling.

Emmett loses his dimpled grin when he sees Royce approach their small group. He drops his arm from around Rosalie and takes a step toward Bella.

"Is that another one of your body guards, Dr. Swan?" he asks sarcastically.

"What do you want Royce," Emmett asks, puffing his chest out, ready to go gorilla on him.

"It's none of your concern, Dr. McCarty," he says turning to Bella. "Bella, can I ask if you would go out to dinner with me as an apology for my rude behavior last week?" Royce asks, quietly.

"No, you may not," Alice and Rosalie say in unison. "We have plans. Come on, Bella. Let's go get ready."

"Thanks anyway, Royce, but dinner would be impossible. With my schedule at the hospital, I'm rarely free these days," Bella over-explains turning to hurry toward her car.

"Bella, you don't owe him an explanation. Quit being so nice to him. It only encourages it," Rosalie says, admonishing her friend.

Emmett takes a few concerned glances over his shoulder to see Royce rooted in place, staring after her. This is something he should probably discuss with Edward considering he believes his friend has formed an attachment to Bella.

Later that evening, everyone is sitting at the largest table in the bar with a noticeable empty chair.

"Maybe he's not coming," Jasper wonders out loud. As soon as he says the last word, the unmistakable rumble of a Harley is heard. Bella's heart does double time.

Trying to remain aloof, she keeps her eyes on Alice, pretending to be in deep conversation as Edward saunters through the door. Standing at the table, he begins to remove his jacket.

"Hey," he says to the group. His eyes fall on Bella and he lifts the corner of his mouth in a sexy smirk and jerks his chin up at her. She smiles at him in acknowledgment.

"Rogan," Edward shouts, "Shots with wheels."

In a matter of minutes, Rogan carries a tray over filled with Tequila shots, limes and salt.

"Here's to our win today," Alice says. Everyone joins their small glasses at the center and drinks down the wicked liquid. Only the girls suck on the limes and salt, however.

"I'm happy to announce we more than exceeded our goal needed to purchase the merry-go-round for the playground, so, with that said, come on Jazz, let's dance." Alice pulls Jasper onto the floor and he seeks the aid of his fellow man-friends to bail him out of this precarious situation.

Edward laughs, shakes his head while holding up his hands in mock surrender, allowing Jasper to fumble through on his own.

Bella on the other hand gazes up at Edward in total awe of the wonderful sound he makes when he laughs. She wants to hear that again.

After two more rounds of shots, Bella's feeling pretty darned good about now and her inhibitions are virtually on their way out the front door. Standing, she announces she has to go to the little boy's room.

Jasper is shocked and says, "You mean the ladies' room, right?"

Bella drunk-giggles and says, "Nope." Popping the 'p'.

After Bella turns the corner toward the restrooms, Edward gets up to follow her and everyone looks at him.

"What?" he asks shocked. "She's wasted. I just want to make sure she doesn't actually try the little boy's room."

He finds her standing in line behind two other women, leaning against the wall. When he approaches her, she pinches his t-shirt, pulling him closer to her. This causes him to lose his balance, stumbling a step closer. He braces himself by placing his hands on each side of her head.

"I had a dream 'bout you last night," she whispers forcefully.

"Yeah?" he replies. She nods dramatically, her chin hitting her chest.

"Did I have my shirt on?" he teases her recalling her plowing into his mailbox.

"Nope. You didn't have your pants on either."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Shocked at her drunken confession, Edward can only stare at her full lips. The desire to taste them is overwhelming.

 _Just once_ , he says to himself, _only this once_. His eyes still focused on her slightly parted lips, he slowly lowers his mouth to hers. He moves so slow he can feel her warm breath on his face.

At the sound of a small gasp, he's brought back to his senses, and stops.

"I'm … sorry," he says in his deep voice.

Bella touches her lips where his lips should have landed, but didn't. Her eyes focus on the dirty floor in front of her.

Looking around them, Edward sees the line to the ladies' room has shortened. "Okay, Doc, your turn," he says, gently nudging her to the door.

Bella enters the small room, locks the door behind her and leans against it. Her gaze meets her reflection in the mirror and tears begin to burn her eyes.

"Face it, you're not his type. You're jus' a … a … plain, boring nobody. That's why you haven't had sex before!" She scolds the image looking back at her. She even expounds on her rant by pointing her finger at herself. "And why is that _Doctor_ Swan? Even a biker man doesn't want you!"

Edward makes his way back to the group, and it's Emmett that sees the look on his friend's face. He can tell something's up.

"Hey, E, what's up? You look a little pissed."

If only Emmett knew how pissed he really was. At himself. There's no way in hell Bella would even think about someone like him. She's a doctor, for Christ sake.

As Bella returns to the table, she tries to act like nothing happened. Disappointed that Edward felt the need to apologize, she orders another round for the table.

"Come on, Rosie, let me twirl you around that dance floor," Emmett shouts over the loud music.

He takes her in his arms, folding her into his body in a comfortable hug as they sway to the love song playing on the juke box. Jasper asks Alice to do the same.

Bella and Edward sit alone at the table, silent, until Edward speaks first.

"So, you had a dream about me, huh?" he asks suddenly, shocking himself with that question. He raises his beer to his lips, keeping his eyes on her.

Her blush returns in full force as she toys with the label on her beer bottle. Not wanting to give him another reason to humiliate her, she shrugs, avoiding answering.

He stares directly into her eyes, allowing his gaze to linger on her full lips. He knows she's offended by him pulling out of the kiss, especially when his lips were nearly on hers. If she only knew how much he wanted to taste her, to hold her. He also knows he has nothing to offer her.

It only takes a split second for their spell to be broken when Royce and his coconspirators bursts through the door.

"Fuck," Edward whispers. Sitting back in his chair, he takes a long draw on his beer and sets it down. Bella looks over her shoulder at what has caused him to have this change.

Royce's eyes don't leave her for the rest of the night.

"I think I'm going home," Bella says, putting a twenty in the middle of the table. "He's creeping me out."

"Wait for us," Emmett says, taking Rosalie's hand.

Jasper and Alice move to gather their belongings as well.

As a group, they head for the front door, and it doesn't escape Royce that Edward's hand is resting at the small of her back.

"See you tomorrow, Dr. Swan," he shouts with a huge fake smile, waving elaborately.

"What's his deal?" Alice asks as she watches his display.

"I'm not sure, but he's getting creepier every day. I may have to report him if he keeps this up, but what would I say, _'he smiled and waved at me?'_ Not much to report, is there?"

"Bella," Edward speaks up angrily. "He was grinding his dick on you. I think that's worth reporting."

Everyone looks at him because that's the most they heard him say all night.

"What?" he asks, looking at everyone. He can hear them laughing as they head for their cars.

"Come on, I'm taking you home," Edward says, pulling Bella toward his car.

"No, I'm good. I can drive," she replies, digging in her purse for her keys.

"No, you're not. You've been drinking, and the last thing you need is a DUI on your record, _Doctor,_ " he says.

She contemplates what he's saying and hears the emphasis on her title. The last thing she needs is her name sullied with a drunk driving charge and a night in jail.

"Okay. You're right. I think my father would have a field day with giving me a DUI and throwing me in his little prison," she says giggling.

Just as Edward opens the passenger door for her, the door to The Shack opens as well, and Royce steps out, watching their every move. His look is cold and calculated.

Edward makes eye contact as if to challenge him as he makes his way around the car.

Keeping his eyes glued to the rearview mirror, he prays Royce doesn't decide to follow them home. He really doesn't want that asshole to know where she lives, and his eyes constantly scan their surroundings just in case.

After pulling into Bella's driveway, he glances over at her only to find her sound asleep. Taking the keys out of the ignition, he runs up the steps to unlock the front door, then hurries back to the car. Opening Bella's door, he slips a hand beneath her thighs, and another behind her back, gently lifting her out of the car.

He can't help but smile when she cuddles him, molding herself into his body. Taking this opportunity, he buries his nose in her hair, inhaling her unique scent.

Carefully taking each step leading to her bedroom, he stands at the foot of her bed, secretly scanning her intimate domain. It even smells like her. After gently laying her on her bed, he removes her shoes, deciding that's the extent of the clothing he's going to take off of her.

Looking down at her sleeping form, he traces her cheek with the back of his finger, reveling in the softness. He then runs the tip of his finger over her parted lips, wishing it was his tongue instead.

"If you only knew," he whispers.

Turning to leave her room, he spies a blue T-shirt that she's tossed carelessly onto a chair. Picking it up, he raises it to his nose, inhaling her perfume, closing his eyes to the memory of that scent. It's the same fragrance she wore when she removed his stitches. Looking back over his shoulder, making sure she's still out, he rolls the shirt up and tucks it in his back pocket.

"Jesus, Cullen," he curses himself, tucking the shirt deeper into the pocket.

Quickly heading down the stairs, he goes through the house turning out all the lights except for the one above the kitchen sink. After making sure all the doors and windows are locked, he heads out the front door, locking it behind him.

Before he gets in his car, he pulls the shirt out of his pocket and, like some sick pervert, inhales her scent all the way home.

The following morning he wakes up with her shirt wrapped around his neck, nearly choking him. He laughs at how sick this would appear to anyone else if they knew what he'd done. Admonishing himself, he tucks the shirt under his pillow for safe keeping.

Just as he's about to head to the kitchen to make coffee, his cell rings. Picking it up, he sees her name in blue LED light.

"Hello," he answers.

"Um … Edward? It's me, Bella," she says quietly.

"Good morning," he replies.

"I wanted to thank you for bringing me home last night," she says shyly. "You probably saved me from a night in a ditch."

"You're welcome." He paces the length of his kitchen, wishing he could find an excuse to see her again.

"Um … could I impose on you one more time? I need a ride back to my car. I could call Rosalie, but I think she's at Emmett's."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Edward says, before hanging up. Tossing his phone on the counter, he races upstairs to take a three-minute shower. After dressing in a pair of loose fit jeans that barely hang onto his hips, a tight black T-shirt and his brown leather jacket, he grabs a set of keys and heads for the garage. Throwing his leg over the seat of his bike, he backs it out before starting it.

Bella feels a surge of excitement rush into the pit of her stomach upon hearing the now familiar sound of his motorcycle as it pulls into her driveway.

Slipping into a lightweight jacket, she hurries out the front door, meeting him in the driveway.

"Hey," Edward says, looking into her eyes.

"Hi," she whispers.

Ironically, they both wonder if each other can feel the sexual tension that's becoming more and more palpable.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asks, sitting on the bike seat, folding his arms and stretching out his legs, crossing them at the ankles.

"Pretty good, actually," she answers. "I, um, must have been pretty out of it with you carrying me to bed and all."

"A little bit," he says, lifting the corner of his sculpted mouth.

Bella feels a little tingle work down the back of her legs, centralizing itself on the center of her body. She shakes off the feeling he gives her virtually every time they are in the same air space.

"You ready?" he asks, throwing his leg over the seat. He leans forward to give her space to sit. He watches as her long leg swings gracefully over the seat and how her legs straddle it.

"Hold on," he says before the bike roars to life. As he settles himself between her thighs, she fists the sides of his leather jacket. Taking her hands, he wraps them around his waist, and slowly pulls out of the drive.

It doesn't take them long to reach her car, and she reluctantly releases her arms from around him. As soon as she walks up to her pretty blue BMW, she sees the word _WHORE_ scratched on the hood in very large letters. When Edward sees the shock on her face, he quickly swings his leg over the seat, rushing to her side.

"What?" he asks when he reaches her. He can see tears are ready to spill from her eyes. As soon as he sees the damage, he pounds his fist onto the white scratches on her car, nearly denting the hood. He controls his anger and before his mind could think who could possibly do this, only one name comes to mind.

 _Royce_.

"Come on. Drive your car to my house. You'll leave it there, and I'll take it to the garage tomorrow. You can use my mother's car until it gets fixed."

"It was him, wasn't it? That piece of shit won't leave me alone, will he?" she barks out loudly.

Edward looks around the parking lot for cameras but doesn't see any and knows that Royce is about to get away with it again.

"Bella?" Edward says, gaining her attention. She looks up at him, tears drying on her cheeks. "I'm sorry, but I think it's time you sit down with your father. I'll go with you if you want."

"Yeah, I think you're right. I'll talk to him tomorrow. Thanks for your offer to use your car. I appreciate it, but I think my insurance will cover this, and I can get a rental," she says.

"Come on. I have a Mercedes just waiting to be driven."

"But what if he damages your car too? I don't want anything happening to your mom's car. I couldn't handle that," Bella says, shaking her head in disbelief that he would even offer.

"It'll be okay. Come on," Edward says, taking her by her elbow, guiding her to the driver's side.

Bella follows him to his house and continues to wonder why Royce would carve such a hateful word into the hood of her car. She's humiliated when people drive past her and sees the writing, looking at her as if it's true.

By the time they reach Edwards, her face is in her hands, tears leaking from between her fingers.

Edward pulls out his cell phone to call Emmett for Rosalie's phone number. It's not long before both of them are pulling into the driveway.

"That didn't take long," Edward says, opening Rosalie's door for her.

"We were at my house, which is just around the corner. Where is she?" Rose asks, looking around for Bella.

"In her car. She won't get out," Edward replies. Both Rosalie and Emmett see the damage done to Bella's car.

"What the fuck?" Emmett bellows upon seeing it. "When did that happen?"

"Last night after I took Bella home."

"Bella? Bella, come on sweetie," Rosalie says softly, helping her friend from the car.

"Let's go inside," Edward suggests. "We can sit out back until she feels better. Beer? Wine? Iced tea?" he asks as he holds the door open for them.

"Beer," the group replies in unison.

"Beer it is."

Rosalie assists Bella to the beautifully landscaped back yard while Emmett stays inside under the guise of helping Edward.

"It was Royce, wasn't it?" he asks. Edward simply nods his head as he pulls out four Sam Adams.

"Let's pay him a visit," Emmett says angrily.

"She doesn't want me to," Edward says, handing two bottles to his friend.

"What are you going to do then?"

"Not sure," Edward says, taking a long draw of his beer, watching Rosalie softly talk to her.

"Then let's get him where it hurts, shall we?" Emmett says through a devious grin.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asks, apprehensively.

"Leave it to me," Emmett says, walking out to the back yard. "I have a plan."

The next day, the restrooms on the first floor flooded, leaving a monumental task for the custodial department to clean up. After that, the restrooms on the fourth floor maternity ward, and then after that, the sixth floor cardiac unit. Needless to say, it was a very busy day for the janitorial staff.

~.~

"How's Bella today?" Emmett asks Rosalie as they peruse the lunch menus.

"She's in a funk. I don't blame her. She's such a sweet and kind person and to have her car vandalized like that hurt."

"Yeah, Edward took it hard too," Emmett says, his eyes never leaving the menu.

"What's his deal?" Rosalie asks, putting hers down to look at him. "He barely says more than five words in a sentence, and he's emotional over Bella's car?"

"There's a story behind all that, Rosie." She waits in silence for him to continue.

"Are you going to share it?" she asks when he seems more focused on the menu.

"I don't talk about it, or him, behind his back."

"It sure would help me understand him and the head job he's doing on my friend if you did," she purrs. She knows that gets her anything when it comes to Emmett.

"It all started when he was just a kid. He was a nerd."

"A wh … what?" she asks, skeptical. "No way! He's fuck-hot! There's no way he was a nerd."

"Truth. Horned rimmed glasses and everything." Rosalie couldn't help but laugh at the mental picture she conjured up of sexy Edward in thick glasses.

"He had it rough. He was a lot more quiet than he is today too. He barely said anything to anyone, so when he got bullied, it made it even worse."

"He got picked on?" she asks with a pitiful look on her face. Emmett nods just as the waitress approaches to take their orders. After they're done, he continues.

"He was picked on all through school, well into the twelfth grade. One day in his junior year was particularly bad. They beat him up enough to put him in the hospital," he begins. "He had a good friend … Sue was her name. He didn't tell anyone, but I'm pretty certain he had a major crush on her. Anyway, they were walking home from the movies and took a shortcut through the school yard when Aro, Sam, Paul and Alex were there. Edward tried to get Sue to run in the opposite direction, but the four boys surrounded them. Aro was coming on to Sue, and Edward tried to protect her. He has a highly protective nature. Anyway, they all jumped him and started kicking him, and it was Sam's boot to his face that broke his nose and busted his jaw bone. His mouth was wired shut, and he had to drink from a straw to eat. After several weeks out of school, he returned to see Aro's arm around Sue. He felt betrayed by her, and even though they weren't going out, they were friends, and he was trying to protect her. When her loyalties shifted over to Aro, he retreated even more. I don't think I've ever seen him interested in anyone until Bella, and even that is speculative. He guards himself pretty closely."

"How sad," Rosalie whispers. "What made him move to Los Angeles?"

"He had no friends here … well, except for me, and I was off to college after graduation. After Edward applied to the same school as me, he was accepted. It didn't last long though. He was his same introverted self, and he was miserable. He dropped out and roomed with a guy he met from L.A. He's good at working on small motors because of his dad's boat business, so he got a job in a garage, working on motorcycles. He's built a name for himself there. Plus, he worked alone and didn't have to talk to anyone and that made him happy. Until his parents' accident, of course."

"You would never guess by looking at him that he was so introverted and a nerd to boot," she says.

"And he's smart. Very smart," Emmett adds.

"Bella is too," Rosalie volunteers.

"What's her story?" Emmett asks, quizzically.

"She had a rough childhood too. Her mother was cruel."

"Really?" he asks, wanting her to go on.

"One time they were visiting her grandmother, and Bella was afraid of that house. The bathroom in particular. Behind the shower curtain, the bathtub was filled with stuff. Like weird, old stuff. Like the shower was never used … at all. Plus the room had a weird smell. Not musty or moldy, but a strange odor. I smelled it once. Anyway, the door knob was broken, and everyone knew that when you went in there, you didn't shut the door all the way because you would be locked in. Bella was in there, going to the bathroom, and her mother intentionally shut the door, locking Bella inside. Her mother took off and went home … without her. She left her in that spooky bathroom and then when Renee called to find out where Bella was, the grandmother went looking for her. When she found Bella, Renee got mad at her for locking herself in there. Even though Renee drove the hour home without her daughter in the car, she still got mad at her. Bella was traumatized."

"Then another time, Renee made Bella wear a sash across her chest that read _Better Late Than Never_. Renee always made fun of Bella's flat chest. She was a late bloomer."

"She's beautiful," Emmett says, sadly.

"I know, right?" Rosalie adds. "Anyway, Renee constantly berated and humiliated her. So when Bella started her period, she had to go to her mother for supplies. Renee ran through the house singing, _Bella got her period … Bella got her period!_ Bella was mortified because her dad had some fellow police officers there visiting. It took her months before she would even show her face at the police station to visit her father.

"She pored herself into her studies too. When she applied to medical school and was accepted on a scholarship, she couldn't wait to get away from her mother. She graduated top of her class, and even though she was offered a job in San Francisco, she wanted to practice here. She felt it was safe to come back since mother wasn't here any longer. She wanted to give back to the community. Plus, she adores her father."

"Where did her mother go?" Emmett asks.

"She ran off with some guy with missing teeth. He did some work around the Swan house, and when that guy tried to put the moves on Bella, Renee got jealous and talked him into taking her with him. I think that's why Bella is still a virgin. That man creeped her out. Charlie divorced Renee and got remarried a few years later. That marriage wasn't any better."

"She's still a virgin? Isn't she our age?" he asks, surprised at this bit of news.

"Yes, and don't you dare make fun of her for it. She's always said she was going to give it to the man she falls in love with, and that hasn't happened yet. Plus, she's terribly shy around men. They don't tend to be attracted to shy women like Bella," Rosalie says, scowling her answer.

"I think she's sweet. You know, the kind you want to protect?" Emmett volunteers.

"So, what do we do about Royce?" Emmett asks, changing the subject before taking a bite of his burger.

"I think he needs a bit of his own medicine, don't you?" she replies.

My Dearest Posie: Thank you for your review. I'm sorry my posting schedule isn't to your liking and an inconvenience for you, but I just needed a minute in my RL to clean a few things off my plate before my stress levels end with me in the hospital. If you were a reader of mine, you will know that in the four stories I have previously written, (nearly 4 years of writing) I _**never**_ missed a Saturday posting and I always hit the "complete" button. For you to admonish me because I dropped from weekly to every two weeks, where I indicated that it would be temporary, is disheartening. So the verbal spanking I received from you was unwarranted. Thank you for your concern, however. You signed in as a guest so we couldn't discuss this privately, but your message to me left me cold.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"Dad!" Bella shouts as she enters the house she grew up in.

Looking around for her father, she shrugs after not finding him, suspecting he's still out fishing. After putting away the groceries she picked up for him, she begins to make his favorite dish for dinner.

An hour later, she finally has the casserole in the oven, when she hears him come through the back door.

"Bells?"

"In here, dad," she yells back. "I'm just finishing up dinner for you. There should be enough for leftovers."

"Whatcha makin'?" he asks, kissing the back of her head. Peeking over her shoulder, he moans, inhaling the intoxicating scent. "Mm, Chicken Tetrazzini, my favorite."

After the formalities are over, Bella takes a deep breath to get to the crux of why she's at his house.

"Hey, Dad, I have something I need to talk to you about. Maybe get some advice on how to deal with it."

"What is it, hon?" he asks, taking a cold beer from his cooler.

"Well, there's a guy at the hospital that I've been having a little trouble with, and I'm not sure how to handle it," she begins.

Her father stops in his tracks and lowers the bottle from his mouth.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Oh, at first it was nothing. Just weird looks, but then he started watching me."

"Watching you? Like how? At your home?" Concern etched in his voice.

"No, not at home. At least I don't think so. It's more when I'm out with my friends, he'll be there watching me. Then, during ball practice, he caught a fly ball, and as I was running to second base, he tackled me, pinning me under him. He wouldn't let me up. It took Edward Cullen pulling him off me to get him to stop …" she pauses, not sure she wants to tell him the rest.

"Stop what, Bella?"

"Grinding into me," she whispers with her head bowed, almost as if it was her fault. Her father slams his beer bottle onto the counter, folding his arms across his chest.

"What did Cullen do?"

"He had him in a head lock and turned Royce to face me. That's when I smacked him. Twice." Her head jerks up and her eyes go wide. "I won't get in trouble for hitting him, will I?"

"Hell no! What else?" her father asks.

"Well, after the game last week, we all went out for drinks, celebrating our win. I got a little tipsy, and Edward didn't want me to drive, so he drove me home. I left my car at The Shack," she says as an afterthought. "The following morning, I called Edward to ask him if he would take me back to my car, and when we got there, there was a word scratched onto the hood," she explains, getting more and more nervous by the minute.

"What word, Bella?" her father asks angrily. She can see the father-cop coming out in him.

"Whore," she says below a whisper.

"What? I didn't hear you."

"Whore," she says louder.

"What!?" he bellows. "Are you sure it was him?"

"No. Edward tried to find cameras around the parking lot, but there weren't any," she explains. "Anyway, he suggested I talk to you about it, to see if you can give me some advice."

"What's his name?" Charlie asks, taking a pen and note pad from the desk drawer.

"Royce. I don't know his last name, but he works in the Custodial Department at the hospital," she says.

"That's okay, I'll get it. All right, I'm going to have a car make a run past your place throughout the night for a while," he says, pulling his phone from his pocket. When he turns his back to Bella, she checks on dinner and begins to clean up her mess.

After Charlie finishes his call, he steps into the kitchen, tosses his empty beer bottle into the trash and grabs another.

"So, Edward was there for you twice? Are you two a 'thing'?" he asks, leaning against the counter.

"What? No!" she says, her brow furrowing. "We were at practice, and then we all went out after winning the game, that's all. He was just smarter than I was, suggesting he drive me home because I had too many shots. He didn't think I would enjoy spending a night in your jail."

"Smart man," Charlie says, taking another drink of his beer.

"It was when my car was left in the parking lot at The Shack that someone scratched it."

Bella takes the casserole out of the oven an hour later, and after having dinner with her father, she leaves because she's on the night shift. After kissing her father goodbye, she heads home to shower and change into scrubs.

~.~

It doesn't go unnoticed that Royce spends an exorbitant amount of time on Bella's floor, and he always seems to be there as she turns every corner.

"Royce, would you come here for a minute?" Bella asks as she finishes filling out a patient chart.

"Yes, Dr. Swan," he says coyly.

"What's your deal?" she asks, not lifting her eye to him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you always watching and following me?" she demands, turning to him with her hands on her hips. "You are aware my father is Chief of Police, right?"

"Why, yes, Dr. Swan, I'm aware, but I'm not doing anything wrong," he answers dryly.

"Did you scratch my car?" she asks point blank.

"What do you mean? Was your car scratched?"

"You can play the dumb act, Royce, but I know what you're up to. I've spoken to my father, and he's aware of your behavior at ball practice. He's also aware of you spying on me, and the damage done to my car. I suggest you cut the shit before I have to report you to the hospital administrator. I'd hate for you to lose your job." With that, she turns and walks away.

Royce turns to the pretty girl at the desk and shrugs. "Hi. You're new. What's your name?" he asks, flirting.

"Clair. What's yours?" she asks in an overly sultry voice.

"Royce. What are you doing later?"

~.~

"So, I had a long talk with Rosalie about Bella," Emmett says, turning the steaks on the grill.

"Yeah?" Edward replies, nonchalantly as he checks the baked potatoes.

"Yeah."

Edward waits to hear if Emmett is going to continue, but after a long silence he can't wait any longer.

"You're waiting for me to ask for more, aren't you?"

Emmett laughs and nods.

"How long have Rose and Bella been friends?" Edward asks, taking a seat at the table while Emmett watches the grill.

"I guess since they were in elementary school. When Bella went off to med school, Rosalie did the same. Once Bella completed her internship, she came back here where Rose was already set up as a physician's assistant. They've been friends all their lives."

"Kind of like you and me, huh?" Edward says. Emmett nods in agreement.

"I guess Bella's had a rough life. Her mother was a number one bitch to her." Edward sits up in his seat, and Emmett regales his friend on some of the tales Rosalie told him.

"Want to hear the kicker?" Edward raises his brow as he takes a drink of his iced tea. "She's still a virgin, man."

Edward spews his tea all over the table.

"Are you serious?" he asks as if Emmett was lying to him.

"Yep. Rosalie says that because of her mother, Bella was shy and insecure. Still is. By the time she went to college, she was focused on her studies. She graduated summa cum laude from Stanford," Emmett says.

"Wow."

"I know," Emmett says in return.

"After she graduated, she did her internship and didn't want to have anything to do with anyone. Now that she's practicing, Rosalie says she hasn't found anyone she's interested in until …"

Edward freezes and waits for him to complete his sentence.

"Rosie says that you've brought something out of her that she hasn't seen in Bella."

"What's that?" Edward asks, shyly.

"Oh, just that she talks about you, and she watches you when you aren't looking. Stuff like that," Emmett says. "I guess you tried to kiss her the other night?"

"Yeah, that was a dumbass move," Edward says, recalling the look on Bella's face when he pulled out of the kiss at the last minute.

"Now this is between you and me, bro. I promised Rosie I wouldn't talk to you about this. But you know, there's a man code when a chick is digging on a friend." Edward stares into space, nodding. "Bella thinks she's too ugly for the likes of you."

"What? What do you mean? What?"

"Rosie said that Bella thinks you didn't want to kiss her because you don't find her attractive. That other than Royce, no one seems to be interested in her."

"That's total bullshit. She's beautiful," Edward confesses.

"I told Rosie that you kind of like Bella, too."

" _What?_ " Edward shouts, his hand slapping the table top.

"You do, don't you?" Emmett presses.

Edward does nothing but shrug his shoulder.

"She's cool, I guess," Edward admits. "But a virgin? Wow, that's unheard of these days."

"I know. I admire her for holding on to it. Rosie said she's saving it for the one."

"The 'one' what?" Edward asks for clarification.

"The one that she falls in love with. The one she will marry."

Once the two cut into their thick steaks, the subject is dropped, never to be spoken about again.

~.~

"I love sushi. Thanks for inviting me, Rose," Bella says, taking her seat at the table.

"I've been craving for months," Rose says, checking off the items she wants, and they both hand their sheets to the server.

"I told my dad about Royce," Bella informs her friend. "He's pretty mad, but I knew he would be."

"What did he say?" she asks, sucking on a piece of edamame.

"He's having my place watched. I had it out with Royce, too," Bella says pouring them both tea. "He was following me around all day, so I told him to knock it off and that I told my father about it. He didn't say anything other than he hasn't done anything wrong and denied carving into the hood of my car."

"Emmett said that Edward's pretty pissed too," Rosalie says, excitedly clapping when the first of their sushi rolls arrives.

"Yeah, he seems to always be there whenever Royce acts up, doesn't he?" Bella adds.

"Did you know that he went to med school with Emmett?"

"What?" Bella nearly shouts. "Did he really?"

"Yep. Apparently he was a nerd. He got picked on a lot and actually got beat up in high school, trying to protect a female friend of his. They broke his jaw and everything. When Emmett went off to med school, Edward applied too and got accepted. He didn't last long though. His introverted nature made it hard for him to function, so he dropped out and moved to L.A. and started working as a motorcycle mechanic. A successful one, Emmett said."

"Wow. Can you imagine that tall, handsome, muscular man as a nerd? I sure can't," Bella says, dipping a spring roll in ginger sauce.

"Want to hear the kicker?" Rosalie whispers, bending forward as if someone is listening in. Bella does the same so she can hear her.

"What?"

"Emmett said that Edward hasn't allowed himself to fall in love because of that girl. He's had regular girls, but mostly for sex, but he hasn't been in love with anyone. Em thinks Edward might have something for you."

Bella drops her sushi in her wasabi, and her mouth falls open.

"Yep." Rosalie says. "Come on, let's eat."

~.~

Edward is engrossed in adding oil to an engine he has just rebuilt, when Chief Swan enters his peaceful domain.

"Hey, Cullen," the Chief says, addressing Edward when he walks through the door.

"Hey, Chief. Engine trouble?"

"No. I wanted to talk to you about Bella. I want to thank you for taking care of her with that Royce thing."

"No problem. He's crossed the line as far as I'm concerned," Edward says, throwing an empty oil bottle in the garbage.

"Do you think it was him that carved onto Bella's car?" Charlie asks.

"Yep."

"Can we prove it?"

"With all due respect, sir, you're the law here. Don't you have ways?" Edward asks quizzically.

"We've run fingerprints, but there's a ton of them on her car. There's no surveillance video. I've told Rogan to get that fixed, by the way."

"I've got an eye on Royce. Bella has friends at the hospital that are watching out for her as well. I don't trust him. I don't like him. He has no problems putting his hands on her and can't seem to take no for an answer," Edward explains.

"I've got my boys watching her house at night when she's not at the hospital. Do you think I should be worried?" Charlie asks in the capacity of a father and not a cop.

"I would be," Edward answers while pouring another bottle of oil into the motor.

"Okay, then," Charlie replies. "Would you, uh, help me out with that?"

Edward gives the Chief a sideward glance and says, "With what?"

"Keeping an eye on Bella."

Edward stands and takes his grease rag out of his pocket, wiping his hands.

"Look, Mr. Swan…," Edward begins, then pauses to look at the man standing in front of him. It's clear that the Chief is worried about his daughter, and rightfully so.

"Sure. I'll keep an eye on her," he relinquishes.

"Thanks, Edward. Just let me know if you hear anything or if you think there's something I should know. She's kind of innocent to the ways of cruelty. She's never been involved with anyone, and I worry about her, you know?"

"Understood."

"Thanks," Charlie says before turning to leave. "Oh, by the way, that engine you did for me purrs like a kitten. You did good, son."

Somewhat embarrassed, Edward looks down at his greasy hands giving the Chief a sideward glance and nods curtly. He knows he's good at what he does, but it still feels good hearing it now and then.

Shortly after the Chief leaves, Edward calls it a day and begins to clean up his work station, all the while thinking about Bella and the possibility of her encountering Royce in the parking garage at the hospital. It's then he decides to have a talk with Emmett to see if there's something that can be done about giving her an escort to her car, especially during her overnight shifts. Maybe he'll show up and walk her to her car once in a while.

Just to help out.

Deep in thought, his mind wanders to the conversation he had with Emmett earlier about how Bella thinks she's unattractive. Too unattractive for Edward.

"Pfft," he puffs out. "What the hell is she thinking?"

It's then that Jasper comes through the door, pulling him out of his thoughts of Bella.

"Hey, Jasper," Edward says, greeting him.

"Hi, Edward. I thought I'd stop by and check in. We haven't spoken in a while, and I wanted to touch base with you. Can we talk?" Jasper asks, looking around for a seat.

"Anything wrong?"

"No, not really. I had a strange request for the yacht, and I thought I'd run it past you," Jasper begins. "I got a call from a woman from Los Angeles. She said she knows you and wanted to see if you can get her a discounted rate on a weekend on Esme's Heart. And by a discounted rate, I believe she means free."

Edward grimaced. Esme's Heart is the boat his father bought for his mother on her birthday, and after they sailed it up and down the coast of California, Carlisle brokered it out for tourists.

"Who is it?" he asks even though he knows the answer.

"She said her name was Angela Weber. She said that you two have a thing going on, and she wants to have a party on the boat, inviting about twenty of her friends for the weekend," Jasper explains.

"No," Edward answers angrily. "I do not want her here."

"Are you sure?" Jasper replies.

"I don't rent it out for parties."

"I'll call her as soon as I get back to my office," Jasper says. "On another note, Alice and I are having a get together this weekend at Mendocino Cove. Alice checked with Emmett, Rosalie and Bella several weeks ago, and they were able to get the weekend off, which is very rare and, well, we were hoping you would join us."

Edward contemplated and then realized he would see Bella in a bikini.

"Sure," he says, continuing to clean his workshop. "Do I need to bring anything?"

"We're there for the weekend and that's a lot of food, so anything you can bring would be appreciated," Jasper says. "If you plan on camping, you'll need your gear."

"Why don't we do it on the yacht?" Edward suggests. "It sleeps ten, so there's plenty of room. I get dibs on the master though."

"Are you sure? That would be fantastic, Edward. The girls would love that," Jasper exclaims.

"Let me know when I should be there. You can skipper it."

~.~

"I packed the cooler for you, hon," Mrs. Cope says, packing extra napkins into the canvas bag.

"Thanks. Is there enough for a couple of days?" Edward asks and curiously peeks into the cooler and surrounding bags.

"I should think so. Just give it all to one of the girls — they'll know what to do with it. I've also made a jug of sweet tea just in case."

"You really shouldn't have done all this, Mrs. Cope," Edward says, stealing a cookie from a plastic bag.

"I don't have anyone else to cook for like this. I enjoy it, you know that," she replies. "Who's going to be at this soiree?"

"Jasper and his girl, Alice, organized it. You remember Emmett?" Edward asks.

"I think so. Wasn't he that big kid who used to play football and kept getting flagged all the time?" Edward nods and grins at the memory of his friend plowing through the opposing line, knocking a few of them out.

"He'll be there with his new girl, Laura, along with Dr. Swan, who's a friends with all of them."

"Oh, I like her," Mrs. Cope exclaims. "She refused to leave your mother's side for one second that night, bless her heart. She's a good doctor."

"She's quiet," Edward points out.

"Almost as quiet as you."

Later that evening, Edward was bored and began flipping through the TV channels to see if there was anything good on but was soon disappointed. Lying out on the couch, he takes a sip of his beer and his mind begins thinking about the Doc.

He can't comprehend the fact that she's still a virgin. As beautiful as she is, the fact that no one has claimed her is inconceivable. He also can't believe that he disappointed her by not following through on that kiss. The look on her face, when she turned away, was heart wrenching, and the fact that she actually believes she isn't good enough shocks him even more.

In one fluid motion, he gets up from the couch, collects his keys from the hook outside the garage door, and steps into his mother's Mercedes. He really wanted Bella to use it, but she refused and got herself a rental car anyway.

In less than ten minutes, he turns right into the driveway where he stealthily slides out of the car and rings the doorbell. As soon as she opens the door to him, she has a stunned look on her face.

"Edward. What are you doing here?" she asks shyly.

He doesn't answer. Instead, he slowly takes a step inside her house, forcing her to take a step backward, as if he's the hunter and she's the prey. He doesn't allow her to take another step back before he cups her neck, fisting her hair in his hand, drawing her toward him.

Bella feels her heart beating as if a herd of elephants are running rampant within her chest. Her mouth has gone dry as the Sahara, and she licks her lips to moisten them in anticipation. Pulling her closer to him, he tilts her face upward. His eyes skim her face, not focusing on anything in particular, until they land on her slightly parted lips.

Feeling his arousal fitted against her, he gently presses his hips forward, wanting to relieve some of the pressure. When he hears her shuttering breath, he holds himself back from claiming her mouth like he wants to.

He's there for one thing — to collect the kiss he should have already taken from her and to let her know.

"I want to clarify one thing," he whispers, placing his mouth across hers, gently at first, then more fervent when he feels her tongue graze across his lower lip. It's when he tastes her that he loses control. Their tongues mate in a slow, sensual ritual that makes him want her even more than he thought possible.

Bella holds onto his waist for support, gathering his shirt in her fists, but when the kiss deepens and becomes heated, she slides her arms up and around him, resting her hands on his shoulders.

When he hears a needy whimper come from her, his arms instantly wrap around her, pressing her to him as if he fears he will never have her like this again.

After losing himself in her, he eases back, unable to breath. He gives her a lopsided grin when it's confirmed she's having the same difficulty he is. Knowing he better leave her in one piece, he gives her a series of small, lingering kisses that tells her he wants more.

Neither says a word, both pondering what just happened. Giving her pert nose a sweet peck, he turns and leaves, shutting the door behind him.

At that point, Bella simply touches her swollen lip.

"Wow."

A/N: I hope you're liking this little story and hopefully soon I can resume a once a week posting schedule. I know many of you know that I'll Be Seeing You is released on Amazon and I wanted you to know that in a few days, the book can be read on paperback. The second book of the series, I See You, will be out in about four weeks. If you've read the first book, I sure hope you leave a review. They feed the writer out in the real world. Thank you again for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

First, I've been seriously remiss in not acknowledging the two women who are with me through each chapter. Kriszta Fargas, my 'muse' … she is the brains behind it all, really. When I get stuck, she unstucks me. And Cintia Figueiredo has been my beta for nearly five years … I'd be lost without you, C. Thank you both.

 **CHAPTER SIX**

Staring at the closed door as if Edward would walk back through it, Bella takes a deep breath and fumbles to find a chair … any chair.

Licking her lips, she draws them between her teeth, then gently touches them again and giggles.

Finding it difficult to sleep that night, she dreams of that one singular kiss and the effect it had on her. She's never been held like that, and when she felt his arousal pressed against her, it piqued her curiosity. She's curious as to what could possibly lie ahead for her if things got out of control with Edward Cullen, and more importantly — would she allow it?

~.~

The following morning, Bella is up bright and early, preparing for the weekend with her friends aboard one of Edward's boats. She hopes it will fit everyone and wonders if she should bring her tent, just in case.

As she's pulling out the few swimming suits she owns, Rosalie lets herself in, yelling Bella's name down the hallway.

"In here," Bella shouts back. Holding up a black one-piece, Rosalie nixes it as soon as she enters the bedroom.

"Nope. That won't do."

"I knew you would pack that old thing," Rose says, digging through her canvas bag she had slung over her shoulder. "I also knew you hadn't taken the time to go shopping for a new one, so I brought you these." Not readily finding what she was so actively digging for, Rose turns the bag upside down, emptying the contents onto Bella's bed.

"Aha!" Rose exclaims, pulling a dark cranberry red bikini from the messy pile. "Here, try this one. I know it will fit you because it's one of those 'one size fits all' suits."

Bella holds it up, making sure it's not one of those butt floss types because she's not one to show her ass up and down the beach.

"Let me try it on," she says, heading for the bathroom.

"Here, try this one too," Rose says, tossing her a dark brown and black animal print suit.

Bella catches it with one hand, holding it up in her fist, already balking at the pattern without even trying it on.

"Bella, don't shut it down before you even try it on. It's cute, and the color is perfect for you. The print is sexy, so shut up and go," Rose says, stuffing everything back into her bag.

Bella comes out of the bathroom wearing the animal print first. She has to admit it does fit her perfectly, not allowing her butt cheeks to hang out.

"The top fits. I can only assume that if you wore this, you would be spilling out everywhere?" Bella asks, adjusting the triangles over her much smaller breasts.

"Yeah, well …" Rosalie says, grinning. "I think it looks great on you. The other one will fit just as well. Edward is going to go crazy over that one."

Bella can't hold back her blush as she examines herself in the mirror, and Rosalie doesn't let it slide either.

"What?" Rose asks. "What's up with that look?"

Adjusting the material across her bottom she just shrugs with a grin.

"What, Bella?"

"You promise you won't tell anyone? Especially Emmett?" Bella demands, her hands on her hips.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure."

"Why do I get the feeling you aren't being sincere?" Bella asks, walking toward her bathroom to try on the other suit.

"I promise, Bells. I won't say a word."

"Okay, well, um, Edward came by last night," Bella begins but is interrupted by Rosalie shrieking a loud " _Really!?_ "

"Yes, really," Bella replies, struggling to get into the top of the second suit.

"Are you going to tell me what he wanted or do I have to drag it out of you? Because I can go ask him if you want."

"No, I don't want. He didn't say anything … he just, kind of just … kissed me."

Bella waited for her friend to say something but nothing came, so she peeked her head out of the bathroom to make sure she was still in the room and not on her phone texting Emmett.

The two friends spend the next hour talking about the kiss, what it meant and what will happen next. Rosalie's excitement exacerbates Bella's own, and she finds she can't wait to see Edward this weekend.

After the car is packed, they head out to Cullen's boat dock to meet everyone for the ride to the cove. Once they pull into the parking lot, Rosalie jumps out from behind the wheel and runs over to Emmett who is impatiently waiting for her. Alice and Jasper help Bella unload the car and can't help but notice Bella looking for something … or someone.

"You looking for somebody?" Alice asks, nudging her boss' shoulder with her own.

"No, why would you ask that?" Bella replies, reaching inside the trunk for her overnight bag.

"Oh, not that you looking all around the parking lot gave you away."

"I was just wondering if this is a good spot to park the car that's all. Where's the boat and I'll take this?" Bella asks, picking up as many bags as she can carry.

"Hey, where's Edward?" Rosalie yells to Jasper.

"He's already on the yacht," he replies. "Let's get this stuff onto the skiff, and we'll meet him out there."

"Ya … Yacht?" Bella says under her breath.

"Yeah. That thing out there," Alice points out toward the large boat out in water.

When Bella looks in the direction she's pointing, and sees Edward leaning on the railing in a pair of salmon colored board shorts.

After Jasper takes the girls out to the yacht, he heads back for Emmett and the rest of the supplies.

As soon as everyone's onboard, Edward gives them a tour, and the cabins are assigned. He, of course, has already staked his claim on the master suite, and put the two couples on the opposite end of the boat. This, unfortunately, left Bella's suite next to his. He knew he would have difficulties sleeping with her so near, but it was a hell of a lot better than hearing the other couples' shenanigans all night.

"Oh, Edward, this is beautiful," Bella says through a sigh.

Placing her bags next to the queen-sized bed, she walks to the window that looks out to the ocean.

"You'll be comfortable here?" Edward asks, standing directly behind her. She can feel his warmth as soon as he spoke.

"Oh, yes, very," she replied dreamily.

"Good. Come with me. I need to show you a vital part of the ship." Bella looks at him curiously and smiles. "The galley."

She laughs and starts to follow him out of the room.

"That's my room, right there," he says, pointing to the closed door opposite hers. "If you need anything, just let me know."

Once they are in the galley, they both start to put away the food stuff, and that's when he tells her there's no cook on board this trip, and if he had more time, he would have made arrangements for staff. It makes Bella take a mental inventory of what they brought and begins planning meals. She'll enlist the help of the other girls as well, but until then, she's enjoying hanging out with Edward.

"Was this your parents' boat?" she asks, placing a casserole dish in the refrigerator.

"Yeah. My dad bought it for my mother. They took it out a lot. I only came home a couple times to go out with them, but when I did, I loved it."

"Well, it's beautiful. Are you going to keep it?" she asks, placing the remaining items in the cupboard.

"Probably. I'm having a hard time getting rid of things that belonged to them. It's like I would be losing them over and over again," he says, woefully.

"Yeah, I imagine it would be," Bella adds.

"Come on, let's go on deck and see what trouble Emmett's causing," he jokes. Taking her hand in his, he guides her through the passage way, and they climb the stairs to the deck where Jasper has already made mimosas for everyone.

"Ah, there you are," Jasper announces. "Where to, Captain?"

"Let's head out to sea and drop anchor. We can take the jet skis out and let the girls have some fun," Edward suggests. It doesn't take long for everyone to agree, and Jasper takes his position behind the wheel and heads west. Meanwhile, the ladies go to their rooms to change into their swimwear.

Emmett's jaw drops seeing Rosalie in a barely-there bikini, and Alice doesn't disappoint Jasper in a yellow polka dot bikini. But it's Edward that's stunned beyond words and has his eyes glued upon Bella's animal print number that hugs her pert little ass.

"Careful, Cullen, you're slobbering," Emmett says playfully, handing his friend a cold beer.

Edward, still hypnotized, takes a long drink, his eyes still focused on Bella as she lays out under the sun next to Rosalie and Alice.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Emmett asks slyly.

Edward looks down at himself to see if it's that obvious, then snares at Emmett for forcing him to look at his crotch.

"What is?"

"Debating whether you want her or not."

"Who?" Edward asks, dumbly.

"You can cut the shit, Edward," Emmett scolds, his brow furrowed with mock anger. "You know, and I know, you have it bad for her. You better hurry and stake your claim before someone else does."

"Like who? According to you, she's been single for years and a virgin to boot," Edward whispers, not wanting to give away Bella's secret.

"Oh, there's a few doctors at the hospital that have been after her wanting to take her out."

"Then why haven't they? She's not totally unapproachable," Edward quips, taking a drink of his beer … eyeing her in the process.

"Bella puts out this vibe at work. It's one of those _'don't even think about it!_ ' vibes. She's all work and no play. Every once in a while Rosalie will get her to laugh, but not very often. Rosie thinks it's because she's lonely."

Edward pauses, then takes another drink of his beer — his focus remaining on her.

Emmett chuckles and jumps up when Jasper cuts the motor and drops anchor. Heading toward the girls, he smacks Rosalie's bottom and says, "Come on, let's go jet skiing before the wolf devours Bella."

Bella, who is lying on her stomach and propped on her elbows while talking to Rosalie and Alice, peeks at Edward over her shoulder.

Edward's sitting at the table with his legs stretched out and crossed at his ankles. Sporting a pair of dark sunglasses, his eyes are fixed on her. When his focus doesn't waver, his tongue sneaks out to lick the beer off his lips, she feels her stomach quiver.

"Yeah … good idea," she says hurriedly, running to meet up with the others.

Edward, on the other hand, attempts to calm his erection and swan dives off the back of the boat.

~.~

After spending the afternoon sunbathing, jet skiing and swimming, everyone is tired and ready for a nap before dinner.

"I'll meet you guys in the galley at six, okay?" Bella says to the girls as she heads toward her room. Sneaking a peek at Edward before she disappears, she grins in satisfaction that she caught him watching her.

After entering her room, she finds a stack of towels and a short robe lying out on her bed. Grinning, she strokes the soft material, taking it all into the bathroom with her. She's certain it was left by Edward and wonders if the bathrobe was his mother's.

Stepping into the shower and under the hot stream, Bella scrubs off the layers of suntan lotion and ocean salt from her skin and hair. She doesn't want to hog all the fresh water, so she hurries through her shower and wraps the fluffy sea green towel around her head, then slips into the soft robe. Opening the bathroom door, she gasps at seeing Edward leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You scared me," she says, breathlessly.

He doesn't say anything but pushes off the door frame and slowly walks toward her. Her hands grip the belt of her robe, securing it tighter, then tucking the lapels into each other, covering anything he might see.

Her actions don't stop him, however. His eyes scan over her … slow and calculating. He notes that there's not much material covering what he wants. Coming to a stop mere inches from her, he gazes into her chocolate brown eyes.

Cupping her cheeks in his hands, his thumbs trace the contour of her lips, and he gently tugs on the bottom then tenderly covers her mouth with his. Their tongues sensually mate until he feels her body relax against him. His arousal intensifies when her fingertips thread through his long mane, massaging his scalp. The gentle kiss turns heated, and leaves Bella feeling something she's never felt before.

More. For the first time, she wants more.

Edward looks down into her eyes, his thumbs skimming over her jaw and neck. Her breathing is labored and shallow, and he knows she wants him — but he won't take her. Not yet.

"Do you think I'm worth it?" he asks, remembering what Emmet said about her saving herself. He can see the question puzzles her, and when her eyes look deeply into his, darting from one then to the other, he knows she's searching for the answer.

"Yes," she whispers. His muscles relax and a dimpled smirk brightens his face.

"Good."

Wrapping his arms around her, he presses her into him again, allowing her to feel what she does to him. He wants her to know that he desires her, but he's not going to force himself on her. He wants her to give herself to him willingly. If he's going to take her virginity, she's going to have to give it to him.

"See you at dinner," he says, walking out her door, softly closing it behind him.

~.~

After the girls prepare seafood fettucine, fresh salad and garlic bread, Edward opens a few bottles of chilled Chardonnay. Alice turns on the music, and everyone sits to enjoy a very fine meal together.

"You got some sun, Bella. Your legs are really red," Edward announces, running his thumb over her pink cheeks.

"Yeah, it doesn't take much with my pale skin. I have to take the sun in moderation." The attention he brought to her makes her blush, deepening the redness even more. "You tan nicely, though," she says, her eyes roaming over his face and bare arms.

Edward and Bella continue to talk between themselves while the other two couples watch love bloom. By time they are done chatting and eating their dinner, they look up and notice they are alone at the table. Bella's eyes go wide in surprise.

"I didn't even hear them leave, did you?" He laughs and shakes his head. "Come on, you can help me clear the dishes."

Working in silent comradery, the pair swiftly and efficiently clean up the dinner mess.

Turning, Edward faces Bella. "I'm calling it a day," Edward says, running his finger down her arm. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay … sleep well," she says reluctantly, not wanting him to go. She hears the others on the deck laughing, but she doesn't want to be a fifth wheel, so after Edward leaves for his room, she heads for her own bed.

The weekend is filled with sun, fun and food. Bella stays in the shade for the most part, not wanting to overdo it. Edward continues to follow her with his eyes, but that's about it. It's a mystery to everyone why he doesn't ask her out, but that's his way Emmett says.

"He'll come around," he says. "Maybe he needs some incentive. Maybe we need to have a party and invite some of your doctor friends, Rosie. Let them know she's more than a girl in scrubs."

"A party sounds great, but I don't want to interfere with the two of them. Let them figure it out on their own, okay?" she replies, taking a drink of iced tea.

Sunday afternoon, the skies are cloudy, which offers Bella a reprieve from the sun. She screams when Edward lifts her into his arms and jumps off the bow of the boat. Her shrieks pierce his ears as they both hit the water.

"You bastard!" she screams when they come up for air. He laughs and dunks her anyway.

"You've been hiding behind that umbrella far too long and haven't been in the water since Friday … you needed to get wet," he says, swimming toward her.

While everyone leans over the railing of the deck, they watch the interaction between the two, and Emmett decides to follow suit and tosses Rosalie.

"You motherfucker, Emmett," Rosalie laughs on the way down. "You're going to get it!"

"I hope so, Rosie-girl," he says following after her.

While the two couples bob around in the water, they look up and see Jasper stalking a squealing Alice.

"Don't you dare, Jasper. If you know what's good for you …" And over the railing she goes. Only Jasper doesn't jump in after her. "Get your ass down here, right now, Jasper Whitlock."

"Sorry, babe, somebody's gotta man this vessel. Mr. Cullen put me in charge of driving this thing, and I can't abandon my post."

"You pussy," Edward yells. "Don't use me as an excuse."

" _Hey! Look out!"_ Jasper shouts, pointing behind the swimmers. When they turn around, they see three jet skis coming straight for them, narrowly missing Bella.

When the machines stop, bobbing in the water, they inch their way closer to the swimmers.

"Oh, hey, Dr. Swan, I didn't see you there," Royce says, his friends snickering behind him.

"Like hell you didn't," Emmett barks. "I bet you didn't see that boat right there either."

"Do you need a ride to your watercraft, Dr. Swan? I'd be happy to escort you," Royce asks with a deep derogatory tone.

"Get the fuck out of here, Janitor," Edward scowls, wrapping his arm around Bella's waist, swimming her toward the boat. Emmett and Rosalie follow suit.

"Okay, anything you say, Mechanic. Oh, and Bella … er … Dr. Swan, you better watch yourself in that little bikini. Your legs already have a burn on them. See you at the office tomorrow, everyone," Royce says, his eyes narrowing on Bella.

Bella jerks her head toward Edward.

"How did he know that?" she whispers.

A/N: Secondly, I'll Be Seeing You is doing well. I want to thank you all that have purchased, read and reviewed it. I can't describe how much it means to me. I See You will be released soon, so the two-book package will be available to you.


	7. Chapter 7

Happy Sunday, everyone. Here's another installment of the Edward and Bella saga. But first, my thanks to Kriszta and Cintia for their support. I may not say it enough, but please know how appreciative I am of both of you.

Also, thanks to Rita for selecting this story for Friday's Pick on Rob Attack! What an honor!

Now … what is the Crazy up to now?

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7**

"How would he know that, Edward?" Bella asks again, her question dripping with fear as she watches Royce scurry away on his Sea-Doo.

"Come on. Let's get on the boat," he says, swimming alongside of her. Emmett and Rosalie follow. Jasper and Alice watch in nervous silence.

Once on board, the three men look around the beach for any sign of Royce, but he's nowhere to be seen.

"Take her out, Jasper," Edward says, pressing the button to bring up the anchor. "It's still early, and I want to have dinner before we go back."

"Aye, Capitan," Jasper jokes, saluting. Alice and Rosalie start cleaning up the deck, and Edward goes off in search of Bella, who slipped away when she got back on board.

As he suspected, he found her in her room, packing her bag.

"Knock, knock," he announces himself, leaning in the door frame.

"Hey," she says, glancing over at him, "Come in."

"You okay?" he asks, walking up to her, halting her packing.

"How did he know? He had to have been watching. With what? Binoculars or something?" Bella asks, her voice shaking.

"Something," he replies, quietly. "I think it's time you talk to the hospital administrator … and your father again. I don't think you should be alone either. Can you stay with your dad for a while, or Rosalie?"

"No. My father has patrols driving by my house throughout the night already. I think I'll be okay," she says, finishing packing her bag. "I'm going to file a report with the hospital tomorrow. This is just getting too weird for me. The fact that he knows I got a sunburn on my legs freaks me out."

"Yeah, me too," Edward says, thoughtfully. "Come on, let's go make dinner and then we're heading home."

"Okay."

Taking her by her hand, Edward leads her toward the door but stops just short of opening it. Turning to her, he still sees fear in her eyes.

"Do you work tomorrow?" he asks, quietly. She nods, her mouth nearly quivering. Taking her into his arms, he holds her for a few long minutes, before looking down at her. Caressing her cheek, he places a whisper of a kiss on her lips.

"Come on, let's go get a stiff drink and start dinner."

~.~

The next morning, Royce was fired.

It doesn't take him long to accuse Dr. Swan of fabricating stories about him, and he becomes irate, yelling obscenities down the hall at her as he's escorted out of the building.

"You fucking bitch!" he shouts. "Go run to your daddy. Go run to Cullen. Just you wait!"

Bella stands in utter shock at the spectacle he's making, and it doesn't go unnoticed by Emmett. He dials 911 and places a call to the Chief of Police, then to Edward. After he explains the veiled threats Royce made to Bella, her father hangs up and races out the door for the hospital.

The Chief's car comes to a screeching halt in front of the building when he sees hospital security trying to rustle Royce toward the parking garage. He fights to get loose but each officer has a secure grip on his arms.

Charlie jumps out of the cruiser and unlocks the safety strap around his pistol, just in case.

"Royce, you need to leave the premises quietly. I understand your employment has been terminated, and they want you off the property," the Chief says calmly.

"It's your daughter's fault. She's the one that got me fired," Royce spews.

"You've been stalking and verbally harassing her, Royce. She was well within her right to report you — to the hospital and to me. Now are you going to leave calmly or do I need to take you in?"

"I'm going," Royce says vehemently, "but you better tell that brat of yours —"

"What? What am I going to tell her?" The Chief asks angrily, stomping toward him. "Are you threatening my daughter, asshole?"

The Chief is mere inches from Royce's face and is ready to lay him out if he says one more word.

Royce wisely clamps his mouth shut, but not before he huffs through his nose and snarls at the cop, giving him a snide look.

"Just wait," he mutters to no one but himself.

"What was that?" the Chief turns on a dime and gets right in his face again. "What did you fucking say?"

"Oh, nothing that you need to know, _officer_."

"I'll take it from here, boys," Charlie says to the two security guards, and they turn to go back inside but not before giving Royce a well-deserved shove.

"Where's your car, asshole?"

"Is that any way to talk to a tax payer?" Royce says as he walks toward the garage.

"It's the way I'm talking to you."

The two men enter the cover of the garage, and Charlie looks around for cameras. When he locates their position, he finds a blind spot and escorts Royce into a shadowed corner, slamming him against the wall.

"Listen to me, motherfucker. I'm going to say this only once. You keep your grubby hands off my daughter, or I will visit you in the middle of the night. I won't tell you when I'm coming or what I will do to you, but you will cry like the pussy you are."

Charlie has Royce by the neck approximately two inches off the ground. Royce doesn't show any fear. He only smirks.

"It's too late, _Dad_. I already dry humped her, and she liked it."

"Oops, wrong thing to say, dumb ass." Charlie drops Royce like a hot potato and kicks him in the nuts with his steel toed shoes, causing poor little Royce to cry out like a baby.

"See," Charlie says, bending over the curled up body. "I told you I would make you cry. Now, try touching her again, and I'll kill you," Charlie whispers in the event someone was around.

"I'm going to report you, cop!" Royce spit out.

"That's rich, asshole. You're all pissed off because Bella reported you, and now you're threatening to do the same? Way to double standard, you fuck. Now, get in your car, leave the property, and don't come back."

Royce, still holding his crotch, limps toward his car. As he drives by the Chief of Police, he flips him the bird and gives him a wicked grin. The kind of grin that exudes pure psychotic evil.

Charlie watches the car drive out of the garage until he can't see it anymore. Standing immobile, he's concerned about the shiver that ran down his spine. That boy has a devious nature and doesn't care about propriety or the law. You don't want to turn your back on him, that's for sure.

Charlie isn't going to leave Bella alone for one single minute.

When he returns to the hospital, he searches for his daughter and finds her in her office being comforted by Edward.

"Hey, Bells," her father says, sitting on the other side of her. "You okay, hon?"

"Yeah," she replies wryly, twisting her fingers. "Wow, dad."

"I know, kiddo. It'll be all right," Charlie says, taking her nervous hands in his.

"I don't trust him," Edward states.

"I don't either," Charlie says. "I'll step up patrols"

"Looks like you're in good hands, Doc. Call me if you need anything," Edward says, rising. Bella looks longingly at him, wishing he wouldn't leave.

"I will. I promise," she says with resolve.

"Chief," he says, holding his hand to him in respect as well as farewell.

"Thanks for being here, Edward."

"No problem."

He looks at Bella again, tilts his head and raises his eyebrow with a look that says "you better call me if there's trouble'.

After Edward and Charlie leave the hospital, Bella goes back to work where the staff stare after her in wonderment of what just happened.

"How are you holding up, Bells?" Emmett asks.

"I'm good but Royce's anger toward me is disturbing. Come on, let's get back to work," she says, attempting to sound calm. She's anything but. It's a good thing she doesn't have surgery on schedule because she doubts she'd be able to hold a scalpel steady enough to make a clean cut.

~.~

Later that evening, Alice and Rosalie knock on Bella's door, their arms laden with bags of Chinese food.

"You guys didn't have to do this," Bella says, grateful for the company.

"Yes, we did," Rosalie says. "I really wish you'd come to my house for a few days, sweetie. I know everyone would feel better if you weren't here alone."

"I know, but dad has his boys looking after me. Plus, Edward said I could call him if I needed anything, and I have you two, right?"

"Yes, and you have Emmett too," Rosalie assures her.

"And Jasper," Alice adds.

"See, I'm covered. I also have a concealed weapon permit the Chief of Police made me get," Bella says with a shudder, not wanting to think about having to use it. "Come on, let's eat, I'm starving."

Later that night, Bella's ears are on high alert. Even the normal creaking of the house has her eyes scanning the room in the dark. It's when she hears a rhythmic thump … thump … thump, that she sits up in bed, angling her ears in the direction of the noise.

Stealthily, she gets out of bed to investigate by peeking out her bedroom window first, then every room in the house, triple checking the locks.

Thump … thump … thump.

She doesn't see anything, but the sound persists. It stops, then begins again, not getting louder or softer. It's when she sees her neighbor, a few houses down, playing basketball with his son that she takes a deep cleansing breath and scolds herself for overreacting.

Going back to bed, she snuggles under her covers when someone drives by and squeals their tires. Fear clenches her chest because she knows it's Royce this time. Again, she nervously tiptoes across the room, as if someone will hear her get up, and peeks out the living room window. She doesn't recognize the car that's sitting there … watching. Fear grips her chest, and she second guesses herself for not staying with Rosalie. Picking up her phone, she calls the first person she thinks of.

"Bella?" Edward nearly shouts.

"Edward, there's a car parked in front of my house. I don't recognize the car either … should I call my dad?" she asks, making a slit in her drapes to peek out again.

"I'll be right there," he replies, happy that he's the one she turned to. He jumps out of bed, hurriedly slips into his discarded jeans, and throws on a t-shirt. After he haphazardly ties his boots on, he grabs his leather jacket and is on his bike.

It takes him exactly four minutes to reach her house. After circling her block, he sees a black sedan turning the corner from Bella's house. Not sure if that's the car that she saw, he makes sure it doesn't come back.

When he pulls up to Bella's, he taps on the door, and she opens it wide for him to enter, then quickly shuts and locks it. She was waiting for him in the living room, her body shaking with nerves.

"Hey … hey," he says, pulling her into his arms. "They're gone."

"I feel like a fool. I don't want to overreact at every noise and car that drives by, but this one did a burnout in front of my house."

"You're not a fool. You're scared," he says quietly into her hair. "Come on, let's have some tea or something. Don't all you girls drink tea when you're scared? My mom said you did."

Bella pulls away just enough to look into is eyes and offers him a wry smile thinking being wrapped up in his arms is pretty good to her.

"Yeah, tea's good," she says, ruefully. Turning from him, she goes to the kitchen to heat up the water.

As soon as she leaves the room, Edward notices what she's wearing. She's wearing a well-worn vintage Harley Davidson t-shirt that hits her mid-thigh. And it's equally obvious to him that she not wearing a bra under it.

When he walks into the kitchen, she, too, notices what he's wearing … worn jeans, a tight black t-shirt and leather. When she focuses on how perfectly the material hugs his muscular thighs, she sighs deeply and settles the kettle onto the stove, missing the burner completely. Jumping backward when the water splashes from the spout, covering the front of her shirt, Edward's eyes linger on the wet material. Her shirt lovingly hugs her right breast. He leaves the room before he's caught ogling her and the protruding nipple that's seductively taunting him.

Embarrassed, Bella takes a towel to dry the front of her shirt, and when she returns to the living room, she finds Edward pacing with his hands in his hair. Giving her a sideward glance, one word escapes his lips.

"Fuck."

His gaze continues down the front of her and over her shapely legs to her sexy red toenails.

And then their eyes meet …

There's deafening silence between them, and like magnets, they make their way to each other. Edward weaves his fingers into her long hair, fisting it around his fingers, and Bella slips her fingers inside his jacket, resting them on his chest.

"Bella …"

The tenderness in which he says her name numbs her completely. As she slowly rises onto the tips of her toes, he lowers his mouth to hers in the same motion.

The electricity that rips through his body centralizes in his cock and is something he's never felt before … with anyone. Oh, he's been a horny fucker in the past, but this is something entirely different. He wants her. He doesn't want to just fuck her; he wants to make love to her. He's not at all certain if it's because she's a virgin or if he sees her as someone different than he's had in the past.

Angela was a mad cat in bed — wild — controlling — fierce. He liked that about her, but he never felt the same about her that he feels right now standing in front of Bella.

"Edward …" she whispers.

As soon as their mouths touch, her hands smooth their way up his chest, over his shoulders and around his neck. Titling her head to the side, she slides her soft tongue into his mouth as his slowly mates with hers, deeper and full of want.

Edward releases her hair, and when his hand lowers over her back to her perfect ass, he gently tugs her into his very hard cock while he nuzzles her neck.

When he lifts his head, she's looking at him … stunned at his boldness. Softly circling his hips into her again, he deeply inhales the sweet aroma of her hair.

"Bella," he growls into her neck, still holding her tightly to him. "You smell so fucking good."

Bella, nearly panting, rests her forehead on his chin, trying to gain composure.

"I need to go before I do something we'll both regret in the morning," he says.

"You'd regret sleeping with me?" she asks in a shy whisper.

"God, no. But you're not the fuck 'em and leave 'em kind of girl and you don't know anything about me."

"I know that you make me feel things I've never felt before," she confesses.

"I know what you mean," he says in return. "Listen, the car is gone, so I'm heading home, okay?" he says with reluctance. He wants nothing more but to spend the night with her, to feel her warm body next to his.

Brushing his hands over his face out of frustration and desire, he turns from her.

"Hey," he begins, turning back around. "Do you want to do something this weekend?" He smiles when he sees the look of joy comes over her.

"I have Sunday off," she says, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Okay. Do you want to go for a ride?" he asks, his fingertips tracing the Harley emblem on her chest, gently grazing the swell of her breasts. She nods eagerly.

"I'll pick you up at nine. We'll take a ride up the coast then."

"I'd love that."

Cupping the back of her neck, he pulls her in for another kiss. He can't help but smile when she grabs the lapels of his jacket for support.

"See you Sunday," he says opening the front door. He takes her chin between his finger and thumb, lifting her for another brief kiss.

As soon as Edward pulls away on his bike, the same black car turns the corner, slowly driving by Bella's home for the third time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy Saturday everyone. I want to thank Kriszta Farkas for helping me with this story and for allowing me to pick her brain a little bit. Okay … a lot.**

 **Cintia has decided to quit beta'ing for me. I need to publicly apologize to her for not recognizing her enough. When I started this story, I had decided not to clutter each chapter with author notes and comments and I offended a few people in doing that. She was with me for a very long time and I came to rely upon her. I miss her. I have a new beta starting with Chapter 14. I want to thank Christina Campisi for stepping up. Thank you, hon, I appreciate that so much.**

 **Now … more from our sweet Royce.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8**

Sunday morning, Edward notices a slight change in his attitude. Typically, he will grudgingly pour himself out of bed and saunter to the bathroom to relieve himself before making a pot of coffee … the typical morning stuff.

But today he has a date.

After a shower, he applies a light, musky cologne on his two-day old beard. Selecting the black leathers that he knows makes his ass and junk look good, he wraps a black bandana around his already-unruly hair. There's nothing like having your hair look all fucked up riding a bike all day when you want to look cool for a chick. Tucking his pants into his shitkickers, he laces them up and gives himself a long vanity look in the mirror. Liking what he sees, he grabs everything he wants to put into the saddle bags, and he's on his way.

Bella, on the other hand, is nervously trying to find something sensible to wear. She doesn't have the biker-babe attire that she's sure Edward is used to, so she selects a pair of black yoga pants, a gray Pink Floyd t-shirt and her well-worn, knee-high riding boots she wore when Annie was alive. Lifting them from the back of her closet, she dusts them off, remembering her Palomino that her father had to put down when her leg broke in a jump. That was the saddest day of Bella's life. Even now, the memory brings tears to her eyes, and she becomes angry at herself for making Annie jump a wall that was too high for her. That horse would do anything Bella wanted.

At the sound of a motorcycle, Bella hurries and slips her feet into the boots, wiggling her toes at how good they feel, then hurries to French braid her hair.

Hearing the doorbell, she yells for him to come in since her fingers are still busy with her braid.

After he shuts the door, she peeks out of the bathroom.

"I'm almost …" She's momentarily dumbstruck seeing him standing in her living room looking like a motorcycle God in black leather. Bella's eyes leisurely trail downward over his tall, lean physique. She drinks him in from his head to his toes before stumbling backward into the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she stifles a giggle at her physical reaction to the man.

The corner of his mouth lifts and he chuckles at her reaction and knows then that he made the correct choice in attire.

Adjusting her t-shirt over stomach, she gives herself one more glance and takes a deep breath to properly greet her guest.

"Hey," she says softly attempting not to look at his pants again.

"Hey," he replies. Tilting his head, he gives her frame a sideway once-over. "You look … good." He can't help but look at her tight ass in those tight pants and that tight t-shirt.

"Thank you. So do you." Bella rolls her eyes at herself because all she wants to do is send a picture of him to Rosalie.

"You ready?" he asks. After she nods, he adds, "Do you have a coat? It's warm out today, but we're going to be riding in the Redwoods, and it'll be chilly.

"Do I need to bring anything else?" she asks, pulling a dark brown bomber jacket from the coat closet.

"Nope, I got it," he says, helping her into her coat.

"Okay, let's go then," she says locking the door and closing it behind her.

After Edward throws his long, muscular leg over the seat, which did not go unnoticed by Bella, she slides on behind him.

"No helmets?" she asks.

"Not today. It's too nice," he replies, starting the bike. "Ready?"

She answers by looking over his shoulder and grinning at him in the mirror then wrapping her arms around his trim waist.

After a two-hour ride to the Redwood Forest, Edward stops at a clearing, so that they can stretch their legs.

"You thirsty?" he asks, pulling a bottle of water from a saddle bag. After she nods, he removes the cap and hands it to her. Drinking half of it, she hands the bottle back to him. She grins when he opens his mouth and allows the water to pour into his mouth and down his throat.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" she asks, looking up at the tall Sequoias. "There's so much history here."

"Yeah, there is. Too bad it's always under threat of a forest fire. That would be fucking sad!" Edward elaborates. "Did you know the tallest tree is three hundred and sixty-seven feet?"

Bella shakes her head, looking around in search of the tree. "Where is it?"

"The guy who discovered it won't tell the Forest Service out of fear tourists will destroy it," he explains. "Redwoods live around two thousand years. The Sequoias live around three thousand," he adds, looking straight up into the sky trying to see the top of the tree they're standing in front of.

"You know a lot about them," Bella states with a grin.

"Yeah, it's my mom. It was her thing."

"What else do you know about them?" she asks, enjoying the serene look on his face.

"That the bark gets to be about three feet thick."

"Wow, for a guy, you're pretty smart," she teases.

Edward takes his eyes off the trees and sits down on the seat of the bike. Looking over at her, he holds his hand out to her. When she takes it, he pulls her to him, forcing her to step in between his extended legs.

"You're the smart one," he says quietly. "Smart _and_ pretty."

Bella can feel the blush rush to her cheeks as he cups her face in the palms of his hands. The intense look in his eyes takes her breath away, and when he gently brushes his lips over hers, her knees nearly buckle. To steady herself, she rests her hands on his chest, leans into him and deepens the kiss, opening her mouth to him.

"Bella …" he whispers against her lips.

"You make me nervous," she confesses, looking downward when he ends the kiss.

He draws her into his arms and laughs. " _I_ make _you_ nervous!" he exclaims. "I've never had anyone make me physically anxious before you."

"Really?" she asks shyly. He nods, running his hands up and down her arms.

"Good," she says, nudging his chest with her hands.

Edward gives her another tight embrace before climbing on the bike.

"Come on, let's go get some fresh seafood in Ft. Bragg. I know a bar on the pier where we can get anything we want."

Bella slides in behind him, hugging him tight to her, laying her face against his back. He cradles her arms with his free hand, squeezing her as he pulls out onto the road.

In that one single moment, she knows that he's the one.

~.~

After a wonderful day with Edward yesterday, Bella cringes when her cell tinkles a pleasant tone indicating it's time to rise and shine. She's on day shift for the next two weeks, and she's glad for that. This way she can spend more time with Edward in the evenings.

The E.R. is typically slow for the small town of Mendocino, making it easy for the one doctor on duty. Should the need arise, the on-call doctor comes in. Today is no exception, and Bella treats several smaller patients with high fevers and chest colds. With a quiet afternoon, she catches up on her paperwork, and by late afternoon she gets a call to room three. A male, late twenties, fooling around with an animal cage of some sort, lodged his hand in the locking mechanism, breaking the small bones in his hand. He needs a cast.

Bella retrieves and reads the patient's chart as she enters the exam room.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Swan," she says, introducing herself as she pulls back the curtain. She's shocked to see who's sitting there with his hand wrapped in ice.

"Hello, Dr. Swan. Fancy seeing you here," Royce says deviously.

Bella just stands there, shocked and trying to think of a way out of this, but there is none. There's no other doctor on duty, unless she wants to call Dr. Williams in. Thinking there's no professional excuse not to treat him, she looks at his hand before ordering x-rays.

"I'm sending you down to radiology. You may have broken your hand, and we need to determine if there's other damage." Continuing to read through the notes, she asks him what happened.

"I was … um … I got it stuck in a latch, and I couldn't get loose," he explains. "It was stupid, really."

"Okay. Stay here until they come and get you. After they x-ray your hand, they'll bring you back here. I'll know more when I see the films."

Bella turns to leave, wanting to get out of his presence as quickly as possible.

"Oh, hey, Dr. Swan," Royce yells, calling her back. She rolls her eyes, thinking she almost made it out.

"Yes," she replies, not turning around.

"I'm really sorry about the other day. I didn't mean what I said."

"Really?" she asks, sarcastically, turning to face him. "It sure sounded like you meant it to me. Just wait here until they come get you."

As soon as she closes the curtain behind her, she hears him mumble something that sounded like … " _wait until I_ _come get you, bitch"_

Bella is torn between snapping the curtain back and asking him to repeat what he just said or call her father. She dialed his number, but he was out on a call. Leaving a message for him to come to the hospital as soon as possible, she then dialed the other number she keeps for emergencies.

"Bella?" Edward says, answering on the first ring.

"He's here, Edward. He's come in as a patient, and I think he threatened me."

"I'll be right there," he says breathlessly and hangs up.

As soon as she slips her phone in her coat pocket, she makes it a point to take a different route to avoid contact with Royce and is surprised to see him in this particular hallway.

"What are you doing here, Royce?" she demands, stopping him from going further. "You are not to be in this part of the hospital and you know it."

"Oh, I saw an old buddy of mine, and I wanted to say hello before they came to get me," he replies, looking at her mouth.

"You should be in your room waiting for x-ray. I suggest you get back there now and hope they didn't stop by already. Don't leave that room again, Mr. King."

"I'm Mr. King now, am I? I like it better when you call me Royce," he says, dragging out the 'R'.

"You're disgusting." Bella turns on her heel and hurries down the corridor.

Before Royce is back from x-ray, the Chief of Police and Edward are both in the waiting room … waiting.

"That's what you heard him say?" her father asks, repeating Royce's words.

"Yes. It was right after I told him to _'wait here until they come get you'_. That's when I heard him."

Edward is pacing … first to the hall Royce will be coming down from x-ray and then back to Bella.

"How long will he be gone?" her father asks.

She looks at her watch then says, "He should be back any time now."

Twenty minutes later, Edward sees him being wheeled down the hall.

"Well, looky who's here," Royce shouts from the top of his lungs, inviting everyone to hear him. "The knight in shining armor and the Chief of Police to rough me up some more and threaten to kill me,"

"I'll take it from here," Edward says to the hospital volunteer. Royce turns around to look at him, concern in his eyes. Quickly wheeling him back into the exam room, Edward takes the broken hand into his fist, squeezing it, eliciting a sharp yell from Royce.

"You making threats, motherfucker?" Edward hisses into Royce's ear, squeezing tighter. As soon as the sound of footsteps running toward them gets louder, he quickly releases the broken hand and stands up.

"Oh, golly, I'm sorry, Royce," Edward apologizes as soon as Bella rushes into the room. "I'm so clumsy, Doc. I think I may have bumped his hand into that table there."

"You fucking liar! You squeezed my broken hand," Royce shouts, cradling his arm like it's a newborn baby. "I want to press charges, Chief."

"Edward says it was an accident, and he apologized. You'll be okay," Charlie says bending over, looking into Royce's face. "Didn't I tell you what would happen if you touched my daughter? Why do you have to go and make threats to her like that?"

"What threat?" Royce asks, his eyes as big as saucers to enhance his theatrics.

"I guess you better keep your doors locked, boy." Charlie grinned at seeing the fear on Royce's face.

~.~

Edward's small engine repair shop is doing so well that he hired Jasper's cousin full time. In fact, Edward is unable to take any days off until he catches up, and that doesn't sit well with him since he and Bella are getting closer.

That said, when he's told that the girls were going to get together at Bella's for a barbeque and movie night, he's glad she will have company for a change.

"What movies are you going to watch?" he asks when he gives her a call on Friday afternoon.

"I don't know — Rosalie is in charge of movies. Alice is in charge of beverages, and I'm the chef for the night."

"What are you making?" he asks, his stomach growling from hunger. It wasn't until food was mentioned that he remembers he hasn't eaten all day.

"Ribs," she answers while looking through her refrigerator for the ingredients she'll need for the side dish.

"God, that sounds really good," he says wistfully, thinking he should call Emmett and Jasper so they can have a cook out at his house too.

"It does, doesn't it? Do you want me to save you some?" she asks.

"Naw. I'm going to call the guys to see if they want to come over. I'll pull some steaks out for us."

"You should. Rosalie says Emmett is in a funk because he won't see her tonight. You can cook him a pity-steak," she suggests jokingly.

"Okay, if you get any unwanted visitors, you call me."

"I will. Have fun tonight."

It's six o'clock when Rosalie and Alice knock on Bella's door. They each have a handle of the cooler filled with fixings to make strawberry margaritas … including whipped cream.

In a bag, that's labelled _Brown Paper Bag,_ is Rosalie's secret stash of movies.

"What's in here?" Bella asks, trying to peek inside.

"Oh, no you don't, missy. We're going to watch us some sexy tonight, and you are not going to be putting an early kibosh on my gift to you," Rosalie says, snatching the bag out of Bella's reach.

"Watch some sexy? What does that mean?" Bella asks, looking at Alice.

Alice mouths the letters P. O. R. N.

Bella's mouth drops open.

"We think, now that you are dating that good looking bad boy, and since you are still holding on to your maidenhead, you need some good old fashion stimuli. What better way than to watch some sexy porn?" Rosalie explains, draping her arm over Bella's shoulder.

"And not that garbage those boys watch either," Alice adds, scrunching her nose as if she smells something foul.

"I guess we better make our first pitcher of 'rita's then," Bella says with a gulp.

Two pitchers and six ribs later, Bella is feeling a little frisky and is eager to get busy watching movies. After hearing Rosalie and Alice describe the awesomeness of their sexual escapades with Emmett and Jasper, she's a little envious.

"I wish Edward would put the moves on me," Bella whines with a slight slur.

"He hasn't?" Alice asks, slurping her icy drink. "I mean, Jasper thinks Edward likes you."

"I think he does too. At least the way he kisses me says he does, but he hasn't done anything else," Bella says, finishing off her pink concoction, then holding her empty glass out to Alice for a refill.

"Can I tell you guys a secret? I mean, you can't tell anyone, okay?" Bella says, whispering as if someone outside of the house might hear her. The girls huddle together in anticipation.

"I'm going to give it up to him," she confesses. "He doesn't know it, but I am."

Rosalie and Alice look at each other and grin. "It's time," they say in unison.

"What time is it?" Bella asks, looking at her watch.

"Time for some movies," Rosalie says, giddily, dumping a pile of movies on the counter. Spreading them all out for selection, Bella picks one called _Oral Musings._

"What is this one about?" she asks, looking at the picture on the front and then turning it over to read the summary.

"I think this one is perfect to start with," Rosalie says, snapping the movie out of Bella's hand and instructing her and Alice to gather on the couch in front of Bella's fifty-two-inch flat screen.

"We better close the drapes since your TV is so big the neighbors down the street can see," Alice says, pulling the drapes closed.

Pouring everyone a fresh drink, Rosalie presses the power button and the cheesiest music fills the room.

"Bow chicka-bow-bow," Rosalie sings, holding her glass out to toast her friends. "To Bella's first porn."

"How do you know it's my first porn?" she replies, appalled. "I did go to college, you know."

"Oh, so you've seen this?"

Bella perches her glass against her bottom lip and whispers, "No."

Her eyes go gargantuan when she sees the girl with mega-boobs tied to a bed with her legs held in the air by a bar hanging from the ceiling. Then some man comes in, dressed like a college professor in thick glasses and sees her. He stammers and stutters over his find and begins to murmur soft things to himself about how pretty her pussy is and reaches out to touch it then mutters how soft it feels and how he wants to lick it.

Bella gets her first visual lesson in oral sex.

"I want Edward to do that to me," she giggles, sitting forward as if a fifty-two-inch screen isn't clear enough.

"I'm sure he will," Alice giggles.

"Does Jasper do that to you?" she asks pointing at the screen. Alice nods with a huge smile on her face. When Bella looks over at her other friend, Rosalie's devious grin and raised brow says it all.

When Bella hears the gurgle of choking, she whips her head back to the TV and sees the biggest penis she's ever seen stuck in the tied-up girl's mouth. She gasps.

"Will … will Edward do that to me?" Her friends laugh and nod at her drunken naiveté.

"But only if you want him to, and I promise you, he does," Rosalie says, filling Bella's empty glass.

When the girl gags on the white liquid oozing into her mouth, Bella coughs and chokes on her drink.

"Are you all right, Bella?" Alice asks, thoughtfully.

"Oh, fuck no! I ain't eating that shit!" Bella yells.

Alice and Rosalie laugh … hard, nearly spilling their drinks all over the carpet.

"Oh, Bells. It's not like that. They are exaggerating for the movie," Rosie says, winking at Alice.

When Bella's phone rings, all three girls jump and scream as if they've been busted by their parents.

"Oh, It's Edward," she squeals, jumping up to answer it.

"Hello," she says, trying to sound sober.

"What are you doing, Bella?" he nearly purrs into the phone.

"Oh, nothing. Just drinking and watching some movies." Bella's blush tells it all, and the other two run up to listen in.

"Is that right?" he asks low into her ear.

Bella removes the phone from her ear and looks at it like it's grown ears or something. Edward's voice has gone all seductive. She's never heard him talk like that, and she swears she can hear Emmett and Jasper whispering in the background.

"What movie are you watching, Bella?" he asks in an equally sexy tone.

"Oh, nothing much. You wouldn't like it — it's a chick flick." Rosalie and Alice burst out laughing, and it's not long before Bella joins them.

"Are you watching dirty movies, Dr. Swan?" he asks, nearly whispering. Her nether region has come to full alert now.

"It all depends on your definition of dirty," she replies. Rosalie gives her a thumbs up for that response.

"Do you want me to come over and explain it to you?"

* * *

 **A/N: And the heat intensifies. I hope you enjoyed it and didn't cry too much when Edward squished Royce's broken hand. Please review and let me know what you think. And don't forget that I'll Be Seeing You and I See You are both completed and available on Amazon. Thanks, ladies.**


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, everyone. I've been MIA for a while due to a few things going on. I posted on my Facebook group page, Dishie's Stash, that I would be putting this story on the back burner and picking it up again when things improved for me. Well, things are getting better, so I thought I'd leave you a treat.

But first I need to thank Kriszta Farkas for her support and assistance in keeping this story on track. Your friendship is important and I don't know what I'd do without you.

Secondly, as you may or may not be aware, I have two books out, I'll Be Seeing You and I See You. It would please me very much if you would check them out and let me know what you think.

I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving and are all dolled up for Christmas.

 _ **Now … Does he spend the night with her? Oops, did I say that out loud?**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9**

" _He wants to come over_!" Bella frantically whispers to her friends.

Edward didn't really think she'd want him to, but since the door was open, and if she had said yes, who was he to let a pretty girl down?

"Um, sure, if you want to. Are you going to bring Emmett and Jasper with you?" she asks nervously.

"No. Tell the girls that their boys will meet them at their place," he says without first consulting his friends. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

As soon as Edward hangs up, Em slaps him on the back. "Thanks for setting me up with Rose, Eddie."

"Emmett, you call me Eddie one more time, I'll castrate you and call you Emmeline, do you understand?" he threatens, witnessing Emmett's look of excitement diminish with the threat.

"You guys better get going because I have a date, and, apparently, so do you. Now shoo!"

Edward sniffs himself, smelling the barbeque sauce on him. Bella doesn't live far, so that gives him time for a quick shower and change.

After he pulls into her drive, his gut takes on a ticklish sensation. It's been a while since he's felt that for a woman.

"Be cool, Edward," he mutters to himself while tucking his motorcycle key into his pocket.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, he rings the doorbell. After expecting her to be on the tipsy side, he's surprised to see her rather sober.

"Hey," she says shyly, motioning him inside.

"Hey," he says in return, eyeing her warily. "How was your party?" he asks, trying to get the conversation rolling.

"It was fun. Do you want something to drink? Beer, iced tea, water, anything?"

His eyes lower to view her long legs as she heads for the ice chest on the patio outside.

"Um, sure. Is there any beer left?" he says with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah. We had margaritas, so there's a ton of beer," she says handing him a cold bottle.

After they sit in matching lawn chairs, both sipping on a cold brew, they chat about her work at the hospital and his work at the shop. It allows them to get over their apprehensions and back on track of getting to know each other better.

"One more of these and I'll be back to drunk-Bella. I was able to sober up a little before you got here. Rose says I'm a cheap date because I'm such a lightweight." Edward smiles at the lilt of her giggle when she laughs at herself.

"Well, if it helps, I'm here, and you don't have to be anywhere … have at it."

"Oh, god no. You'd really think I'm a mess then," she says in a tone that implies he'd have no respect for her.

His dark eyes find hers, holding them. "You are far from a mess. Not even close."

Stretching his hand out, he reaches for hers, waiting for her to take it. When she shyly lays her palm upon his, he wraps his fingers around her, his thumb lightly stroking her soft skin.

"You're the smartest woman I know. You're a healer … you save lives. How can you say you're a mess?" he asks with sincerity.

A blush rises from her chest, and she takes her hand back, then finishes the rest of her beer out of nervousness.

Eying the badminton net in her yard, Edward sets his half-empty beer bottle down and gets up.

"Come on, let's see if you can beat me in a game." He helps her up from the lounge chair, and they head for the net.

"Beware … I'm the badminton queen," she says running out to the yard grabbing two racquets and a few shuttlecocks on the way.

After a few warm up serves, they're ready to play, and Edward has to admit, she's pretty good … but then again, so is he.

They decide there are no boundaries, just volleying the bird until someone misses. They're doing fine until the competitor in both of them come out, and they take down the net in an effort to slam the piece of plastic on the other side. Edward suffers a blow to his nose, and a gush of blood runs down his shirt.

"Oh, shit! Oh, my god! Oh, shit!" Bella yells, trying to untangle both of them from the net. "Let me get my medical bag … I'll be right back."

By the time she returns, Edward's nose has quit bleeding, but he's pretty certain it's broken.

"Oh, god, I'm so, so sorry," Bella pleads, wiping the blood from his mouth. He stops her and turns to spit blood on the grass, clearing his mouth of the drainage.

After she examines him, she sits back on her heels and lets out a deep anguished sigh.

"It's broken."

"I thought so. Can you fix it?" he asks, squinting his eyes at the pain.

"Yes, but it's going to hurt," Bella replies. Edward nods and closes his eyes as she adjusts the bridge of his nose, realigning it with my face.

Edward cries out like a baby.

Bella wraps her arms around him, starts to cry and apologizes all over again.

"I'm so sorry, Edward. God, I'm so fucking sorry."

He'd been sitting up on the grass this whole time and chooses to lay down when the pain rushes to his head.

"I'm going to give you a shot of Demerol for the pain, all right? Do you have any allergies?"

"No," he says, closing his eyes against the pain. "What did you hit me with, anyway? A baseball bat?"

While he lays there, pain shooting into his brain, Bella gives him a few cc's of the drug, and it hits him almost immediately.

"I'm so sorry," she repeats while spearing his vein. "I really put my weight behind that swing, didn't I? Lord, your eye is blackening already." Bella gently rubs the pad of her thumb over his eyelid and then does something that sends a blast of happiness through him … she kisses his bruise.

"Come on, Edward. Let's get you in the house before you're a total noodle and I can't carry you," she says, pulling on his arm.

Once they're in the house, she guides him down the hall to one of her bedrooms. Immediately noticing her scent, he inhales and smiles.

"This is your room," Edward says with finality.

"Yes. My guest room is trashed because I'm redecorating it. You can sleep here, and I'll sleep on the couch."

"No. You will sleep here too. Right here," Edward orders, his finger pointing at the space next to him.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Edward," she returns, a beaming smile on her lips.

"Really? Why?" he asks with total amazement.

"I don't know. We don't really know each other all that well," she answers.

"Hi, my name is Edward Mason Cullen. There we know each other better. Besides, does it help that you took me down with a tennis racquet?"

"Are you phishing for sympathy, Mr. Cullen?" she asks. "And it wasn't a tennis racquet. It was a badminton racquet. There's a vast difference."

"No, Bonerella!" he says loudly, laughing, holding his aching head. "You clobbered me with a tire iron."

"I did no … _Bonerella?!_ What the hell does that mean?" she asks, her eyes wide with shock.

Edward can't quit laughing at himself, and when he pulls the waistband of his jeans and looks down inside, he asks, "Wanna see?"

She jumps from the bed and shrieks. "No!"

"Well, you asked," he says, laying his head back down on the pillow, yawning. "I've been this way … pretty much … since we … met."

The next thing he knows, Edward is waking up. It's dark, and Bella is sound asleep next to him. When he attempts to get up to go to the bathroom, she rolls over and looks at him.

"You're awake," she says quietly.

"Yeah, I need to use the head. Where is it?" he asks, groggy from the pain meds. She points to the door across the room.

After Edward finishes, he returns to the bed and sits down on the edge, looking at the clock on the bedside table … it's three in the morning!

"Wow, Bella, it's late, I should go home."

"What? It's Bella now? Not, Bonerella?" she laughs.

Rolling his eyes, he can't help but join her. "I guess I shouldn't do Demerol anymore, huh?"

"Do you need more? Are you in pain?" she asks, sincerely.

"Naw. I'm good. But I should head out."

"I think you should stay here. You are in no condition to be riding a motorcycle. Especially at night. Doctor's orders."

Edward grins at her, and she informs him she's totally serious. After he relents, he swings his feet back up on the bed and lies down.

"Come here," he says to her, his arm reaching out to her. Bella scoots over and snuggles into his side, and he wraps his arm around her, enjoying the feel of her next to him.

 _"One day,"_ Edward says to himself. _"One day I plan on making love to this woman."_

~.~

"Oh, no!" Bella nearly screams from the other room. Edward rolls over to check the time. It's eight o'clock. He should have been at the shop hours ago, but fuck, that shit she put in him knocked him on his ass. He's going to need a day just to recoup and get back to normal.

Getting out of bed, he pads on bare feet down the hall toward the kitchen, praying she has coffee. As soon as Bella sees him, she pours him a cup, handing it to him. Edward inhales the scent and takes a sip.

"Everything okay?" he asks, seeing the disdain on her face.

"No. My step-monster is coming for a visit."

"Step-monster?" Edward asks, incredulously

"After my mother, Renee, passed away, my father remarried Cruella Deville aka Sue. She can't stand me, and believe me, the feeling is mutual," she explains, her brow furrowed deeply.

"Then why is she coming?" Edward asks curiously.

"She wants something. That's the only time we see her. My father pays her to stay away."

"Um, why would he pay her to stay away? Why doesn't he divorce her?" he asks, probably overstepping, but his curiosity is piqued.

"She's vicious. She has threatened to take everything, including the things inside my dad's house that belonged to my mother. Charlie says it's easier to pay her to stay away, but she pops in periodically. When she does, she always wants something. She knows I have money from my inheritance. She tries to threaten me now and then to get some of it. She tells me she'll stay away if I give her some. Under the guise of a loan, mind you. My dad won't let me."

"Wow. That's pretty fucked up," Edward says, recalling how Angela tried to come back into his life when she found out he had a few million from his parents. "When is she coming?"

"Tomorrow."

"That's short notice. Do you want to make some plans so you can say you are busy? We can ask Emmett and Rose if they want to go to dinner, or bowling. We can ask Alice and Jasper too, if you'd like."

It takes Bella a while to answer, and he can tell she's in deep thought, but eventually she turns to answer.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Mr. Cullen?"

"Yes, ma'am, I guess I am."

"That sounds fun actually," she says. "Oh, by the way, how are you feeling? Let me take a look. Sit here," she instructs, pointing to the stool at the breakfast bar.

After she steps up to Edward's side, giving him a whiff of her gentle perfume, she leans in close to look at his nose, softly pushing around it.

"Does this hurt?" she asks, looking into his eyes. Edward shakes his head.

She then tilts her head to look at the bruises under his eye and flinches, drawing her lips between her teeth.

Not able to take it any longer, Edward wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her into his spread legs.

"Bella …" he whispers, threading his fingers in her long hair, pulling her mouth down to his.

The soft warmth of her mouth is more than he can bear, and as soon as her sweet tongue peeks out, it's over for the both of them. Heat and passion take over, and he presses her hips into his groin. He growls when the sensation spreads like ripples in water through him.

"Edward?"

"Hmm," he replies, his mouth suckling on her neck.

"I have something to tell you," she says, needing to confess.

Edward pulls away from her neck to look at her. He's pretty sure he knows what it is, but this is her story to tell.

"I've … I'm … I've …" She turns away from him, her face beet red with embarrassment.

"What is it?" he asks, prompting her to continue.

She walks to the window over the kitchen sink, regaining the confidence to say it.

"I've never been with a man before." There. She told him. When there was nothing but silence behind her, she turns to look at him. He's still sitting in the same position she left him in.

"Well, aren't you going to say something?" she asks, throwing her hands in the air.

"Like what?"

"Like … _'how old are you? Oh, you're twenty-eight_ _,_ _and you're still a virgin? How can that be?'_

"Come here," he says, pulling her to him. "What are you trying to tell me, Bella?"

Wrapping his arms around her, he forces her to look at him. "Are you trying to tell me that you want me to be your first? Because that's what I'm hearing." She looks into his eyes and leans into his chest.

"Yes. Maybe not right this minute, but when the time is right, I do want it to be you."

Edward cups her face in the palms of his hands and rests his brow against hers.

"I'm honored."

~.~

"Dad!" Bella shouts slamming the door behind her. "DAD," she yells again after not getting an answer.

"I'm up here, quit yelling," Charlie yells back from his bedroom. "I just got out of the shower. Give me ten minutes. Make some coffee, would ya?"

Bella makes herself at home having grown up in this house. It doesn't take her but a few minutes before the coffee is brewing, and she's back to waiting for her father to come downstairs.

"What's all the yelling about?" he asks as he hurries down the stairs.

"Sue's coming," she says, not hesitating.

Charlie stops in his tracks and looks at her.

"Yep," Bella confirms, folding her arms over her chest. "She called me yesterday and said she wants to talk to me."

"She wants more money. Like I don't give her enough as it is," Charlie scoffs. "When is she coming?"

"Today."

Charlie throws his arms in the air letting out an expletive. "She'll want to stay here. Can she stay at your place?"

"Are you out of your fucking mind? Of course she can't stay at my house. You married her … let her sleep with you!"

"No," Charlie says abruptly.

"Oh, she'll find someone in town to bunk with, I'm sure," Bella says sarcastically. "Dad, she makes a fool out of you every time she shows up. Why do you allow it?"

"She wants my money, and I refuse to let her have Renee's. Better keep her away from that Cullen boy," Charlie adds.

"Other than that just being gross, why would you say that?" Bella asks curiously.

"Didn't you know? Edward is rich."


	10. Chapter 10

**I hope New Years was enjoyed by all whether you were snuggled at home or out and about with the crowd. I hope 2017 brings you all closer to your goals.**

 **CHAPTER 10**

"I heard that he had inherited, but I don't know how much. You don't think Sue would ask him for money, do you?" Bella asks her father, curious whether her stepmother would hit up some of the locals for cash.

"How do you think I met her?" Charlie replies. "When she lived here, everyone knew her father abused her. She even claimed her uncle molested her when she was a little girl. Nothing ever came of that claim since Sam died, long before I met her. Nevertheless, she sucked me in with her sob stories, hook — line — and sinker. The rest is history."

While Charlie regaled Bella with Sue's past story for the umpteenth time, she made her father a few eggs and toast, placing the plate in front of him. She enjoyed listening because she always gleaned new information that he never told her before.

"Thanks, hon." Bella bent to kiss her dad on his forehead, hugging him to her chest.

"You need to get rid of her, dad. I want to see you happy once and for all."

"I know. I'm kind of working on it. I've just about got enough to file now. I just don't want her to think she deserves anything that your mother left us. I swear if she touches one thing of Renee's, I might have to file a missing person report on her because I'll be the one to make sure she disappears."

When the doorbell rings, the feeling of dread comes over both of them.

"Just when I was starting to enjoy my meal," Charlie says with a huge sigh.

"I'll get it. Finish your breakfast before she makes you bring it back up with that god-awful cheap ass perfume of hers," Bella says sarcastically.

"What cheap-ass perfume?" Sue says as she walks into the kitchen.

"Guess I better get those locks changed again," Charlie mutters before stuffing his mouth with scrambled eggs.

"Hello, Isabella," Sue drones, stripping off her gloves. Bella rolls her eyes because Sue is the only person that would wear gloves during the heat of the summer. One must keep up appearances, she supposes.

"Sue," Bella replies. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd stop by and see my family. It's been a while since I've seen you," Sue answers casually, placing her gloves and handbag on the kitchen counter.

"You don't have any family here anymore, Sue," Charlie reminds her.

"I meant my husband and daughter," she says with mocked surprise by his comment.

"I am not your daughter. Please don't infer that I am … on any level." Bella turns to her father, rolling her eyes. "Dad, I'm heading out. I have a date, and all of us are going out tonight."

"That sounds like fun, hon. What are you doing?" Charlie asks with the smile he reserves for his daughter.

"We're all going bowling." Bella bends to kiss her father on his cheek, then whispers in his ear. "Call me when Cruella leaves."

"Love you too, honey," Charlie scowls.

Bella walks out of the kitchen without a backward glance to Sue.

"Isabella Swan!" Sue yells. "You get back in here and give me a proper goodbye."

Bella laughs and slams the door behind her.

"Charlie, you have to do something about her. I don't deserve that kind of treatment, and you know it," she whines.

"Sue, everything you've done to that girl warrants more than simply ignoring you. When will you get the fact that she just doesn't like you? Get over it. Why are you here anyway? I pay good money for you to stay away from us."

"Well, I … um … sort of spent it. I plan on asking Bella if she can float me a few thousand. She'll do it if you tell her to. Call her and tell her to give me a few grand. She makes a shit load of cash at that hospital, and she has her mother's inheritance too."

"You have come here begging for handouts too many times, Sue. I give you enough to survive, and you know it. What was it this time? Gambling? Drugs? Men?"

"No, and quit insulting me, Charlie. Just give me the money, and I'll leave. I'll even leave today."

"No. No more, Sue."

"Okay, then. Take my bags upstairs, would you? Make room for me in the closet and dresser," she demands before turning toward the stairs, but Charlie was faster than her.

"You are _not_ staying here. You are not welcome here, Sue. Go find somewhere else to sleep, but it isn't here," he says vehemently.

"This is my house too," she reminds him.

"No, this is _my_ house. I had it before we married, and you left town three years ago," Charlie says angrily. He slams his hands on the kitchen table and stands up, forcing the chair to fall backward. "I want that divorce. I'm done with you. I'll not give you another penny. I'm tired of bailing you out. I'm going to see Jinx today as a matter of fact. I should have the papers drawn up before you leave town. Until then, get the fuck out of my house!"

Looking perplexed, Sue turns to leave, but Charlie calls her back. A devious grin of triumph comes over her face before she returns to the kitchen.

Charlie is ravenously eating his eggs with his hand held out to her.

"The key!"

~.~

"You suck at bowling, Bella," Edward says warmly, smacking her ass as she walks past him. It's her second gutter ball of the first game.

"Just wait, partner. I get better. This first game is just a warm up," she enlightens him, shoving her nose in the air while she rubs her behind. "You're up, Jessie."

Just as Bella turns around, she comes face-to-face with none other than her step-monster.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Bella whispers angrily. "What in the hell are you doing here, Sue?"

"I thought I'd stop by and have a drink, and then I remembered you were here on a date," Sue says, waving off Bella's comment.

"You came to a bowling alley for a drink? Don't you usually go to a bar for that kind of thing?" Sue ignores her stepdaughter and walks around her to introduce herself.

"Hey, kids," she shouts to get their attention.

Walking up to Edward, she eyes him up and down like a horny MILF. "Well, aren't you a handsome thing?" she says, slipping her hand into his. "I'm Sue … Bella's mother."

"My mother is dead. What do you want, Sue?" Bella asks again, pulling her away from Edward.

"Oh, all right. You father won't let me stay at the house." That's when she turns on the faucet and tries to pull real tears from her eyes. It doesn't work, however.

Bella and Edward look at each other, and although they gave it their best effort not to, they burst out laughing. It's not long before Alice and Rosalie join in.

"Why are you laughing? Is it because I'm homeless? Your father has threatened to divorce me, Bella! Where am I to live?"

"I have no idea, and frankly I don't care. You have used my father, and he has finally had enough apparently. Now, if you don't mind, I'm here with my date and my friends, and you have a bar to visit. Go see if there's someone you can sucker for a place to crash."

Bella sighs as soon as Sue leaves, and that's when she lets her guard down. Walking up to Edward, she lifts onto the tips of her toes and kisses him lightly on his warm lips.

"I'm going to kick your ass."

After four games, Jasper and Alice are deemed the winners of the night and demand to be taken out for a celebratory drink, so they head for The Shack.

When the six boisterous friends come through the door, a smile comes over Rogan's bearded face.

"Well, look at all of ye. Tis a good thing to see ye this fine eve. Take that table in the corner, and I'll bring ye a round of pints," Rogan says in his heavy Irish lilt.

Edward holds out Bella's chair for her, and she smiles up at him. Rosalie waits for Emmett to do the same, jutting her hip out in exasperation. Everyone watches as Jasper does the same for Alice, but when Emmett sits down in Rosalie's chair, he stares up at her.

"What?" he asks as if nothing's wrong. Rose makes a move to take the only empty chair at the table, but he cuts her off by grabbing hold of her wrist. "This is your seat tonight, beautiful."

~.~

It didn't take her long to pick out her sucker for the night

"Hey, handsome," Sue says to the stranger at the table in the dark corner of the room. "Do you mind if I have a seat?"

He notices her overly made up face, fake red hair and too small leopard print tank top at first glance. His eyes continue down her body to her equally tight stretchy black capris and Barbie doll shoes with bright red toenails peeking out. Liking what he sees, he sits up straight and offers her the seat across from him.

"Have a seat, beautiful." He waves at Rogan for another round of draft beer. It's the cheapest, and it's all he can afford.

"What's your name?" Sue asks, leaning in squeezing her cleavage at him.

"Royce … yours?"

"Sue." Continuing with the boring greetings, she snaps her gum as she sidles up close and personal. "You live around here?"

He gets a whiff of her fake Poison perfume scent and backs off at the strength of it. She notices and regrets that extra spritz when she went to her cheap hotel room to change into something more comfortable. She knew her double-breasted Chanel suit wouldn't go over in a place like this, so she pulled out her old reliables. The leopard gets her laid every time.

"Yeah, you?" he replies, chugging the last of the cheap beer in his glass. He pours them both another, and they both hurry to drink them for a cheap buzz.

"I used to. I'm here to visit my family. They're stuffy and boring, and I need something hot and exciting tonight," she purrs with a slur. Running her fingertip up his arm, she moves in a little closer. "Are you … hot tonight?"

"I could be," he replies huskily. Downing another glass, he changes the subject, not ready to leave the bar yet in case 'she' comes in.

"Who are you visiting?" he asks, sitting back further into the shadows. "I may know them. I work at the hospital, you know?"

Sue's attention is piqued, and she practically sniffs him for the scent of money.

"Oh, are you a doctor, `too? My daughter's a doctor," she says excitedly.

"Uh, yeah. Who's your daughter? I may know her," he asks, pouring another beer.

"Bella Swan."

Royce nearly chokes on his mouthful of brew and spits out the rest at her revelation.

"B … Bella's your daughter?" he asks, his body becoming tense and straight in his chair. "I thought her mother died?"

"Well, yes, but I'm married to her father, so technically, she's my daughter. Charlie and I are separated if that concerns you. He won't hunt you down if I'm caught in your bed tonight," Sue says, attempting to sound sexy.

"Yeah, well, I've been trying to get into Bella's bed for a while now, but she appears to be too good for me. Then that Cullen fuck comes into the picture, and she's all over him like glue," he growls, sucking down a full glass and then motions Rogan for another.

"Well … well … well …" Sue says upon seeing and hearing the local bowling league fall into the pub. She slides back into the shadow with Royce and whispers quietly. "Let's not let them see us just yet. I don't want our evening to be ruined by them. She already kicked me out of the bowling alley tonight."

"No shit?" he asks, shock in his voice.

"Yeah, I came to town to collect some money Charlie owes me, and when he failed to pay up, I went to Bella to see if I could collect from her. She kicked me out like I was a piece of trash or something," Sue says, nearly fake-crying in her beer.

"You should ask Edward. He's fucking rich! He has a shit-load of money," Royce says, volunteering this bit of information that has Sue sitting up and listening intently.

"Is that right?" Royce nods and they both sit back and watch the couples laugh and fawn over each other.

"Sue, let's go to my place. I suddenly have a need."

As soon as the couple rises, Sue gathers her gold sparkly handbag and slips her arm through Royce's. It's clear they are inebriated and need each other to stand, and this is what brings them to the attention of Bella.

"Oh, shit! Would you look at that!" she says, her eyes like saucers. "Now that's a disaster waiting to happen, right there."

"Bella," Royce says in an attempt to be somewhat civil.

"Sue, what the hell are you doing here and with him of all people?" Bella asks, still shocked beyond reason.

"I'm going out with this doctor here. You aren't the only one in town, you know?" she slurs. Everyone erupts in laughter. Everyone but Royce, and maybe Sue.

"What?" she asks. "What's so funny?"

"Sue, he's not a doctor. He doesn't even work at the hospital. Do you, Royce?" Bella asks, addressing his directly.

Tucking away this bit of disappointing news, Sue turns her attention to Edward.

"Hey, Edward?" she stutters, "can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh, why?" he replies.

"Let me guess," Bella interjects. "You need a loan?"

The look on Sue's face says it all, and Bella shakes her head in disgust. "Sue, you are not going to hit my friends up for money. Get a fucking job!"

The table of friends observes the drunk couple until they turn and stumble toward the door.

"Now I _really_ hate that bitch," Sue seethes.

"Come on, baby. Come to my house," he says, pulling her behind him.

After a somewhat sobering ride home, Royce's mind churns and then churns some more.


End file.
